Charlie Houston - Spiral
Charlie Houston is certainly a hidden gem within Canadian alternative music. The Toronto based singer/songwriter promotes most of her music on her social media, and many might be familiar with the name from ‘The Beaches’ most recent, ongoing tour. It was this tour that first acquainted me with Houston as an artist and a performer. Her live performance stuck with me, and after checking out the rest of her music after the show, I was not disappointed.
Houston's album Big After I Die, released on January 31st, 2025, is a diverse album including existential “vibey” tunes, heavier, iconic and highly underrated guitar jams, and slapping bass lines. Spiral was the final single to be released before the initial record.
With a run time of 3 minutes and 57 seconds, Spiral was the first release I got to stream in the new year. If you’re a person that enjoys existential, “stare at the stars and ponder” ballads, this new release may just be worth checking out.
While the other three tracks released on Houston's new album are incredibly catchy, and are home to very unique riffs while also maintaining a deep, punctuating bassline, something about ‘Spiral’ brings a new sound to this album that wasn't particularly anticipated. The track features a very mellow drum beat, an acoustic guitar melody, and an airy electric guitar track with lots of reverb, a switch up from the booming guitar throughout the rest of the tracks Houston has released (so far) on this record.
This track is also what I would consider much more “lyrically dependent”. This doesn't take away from the music within the track itself, but the lyrics of this whimsical jam are truly the foundation. One aspect of Houston's writing that led me to becoming an avid listener was the simplicity of her lyrics that make the tracks so much easier to digest. ‘Spiral’ is no exception, as I mentioned above, I do enjoy the other tracks that Houston has released so far on this record, and their lyrics are also something to behold in their own right.
However, ‘Spiral’ holds a space within it for self-reflection and pondering. I love a track that you can blast in the car when you are having a bad day, that can also double as a calming tune that you can play in the background of a good study-sesh. You've gotta love a song with versatility! The lyrics of this song carry a message about being codependent on those that you love, and being scared that they'll leave you when you need them most, or always being afraid that you are “too much”.
Most of us have multiple playlists for all of our different moods and scenarios, and I guarantee you this track could go on almost every one! If you are interested in getting into a talented and lyrically diverse alternative artist, I would definitely give Charlie Houston a listen! You can find ‘Spiral’ along with her new album ‘Big After I Die’ . A great start to 2025 with regards to the alternative scene!