You know when an artists is hitting the sweetest notes when you look forward to that moment just before you press play on a new track: the delicious tang of anticipation. And so it is with Charlie Clark. And what joy when expectations are exceeded.
Clark’s newest track, ‘No Big Deal’ is just that – a big deal. A third single in a row that has a spark and shimmer of the purest indie pop but this time round, there is just that little bit of Glaswegian grit that recalls The Jesus and Mary Chain: a thundering buzzsaw drive and distant, remote and arch vocals. It is, in a sense, a slight departure from his first two singles that were infused personal melancholy and experience as Clark moved back to his hometown to be with family. The jingle jangle humour of ‘Don’t Have A Cow’ and the grief and loss in ‘A Bridge To Your Idol’ are replaced by something a little more carnal and raw.
This track proves Clark can take the foot off the brakes and swagger a little: infusing a little attitude and a lot of thump with the ringing, chiming guitars that are celestial and grand. As a new father and recent beneficiary of twins, Clark is not pulling on his slippers and smoking a pipe just yet: ‘No Big Deal’ is as full of noise and vitality as any newborn..
The accompanying video reminds us that that above all, Clark has an inherent sense of gentle humour – a glint in the eye for all the bravado and front of ‘No Big’ deal’:
‘No Big Deal’ is another jewel in the crown of the forthcoming album ‘Late Night Drinking’, released through that paragon of good taste, Alan McGee’s It’s Creation Baby label, produced by Jason Shaw from Cambodian Space Project and mastered by Mark Gardener from Ride. What a joyous thing to look forward to.
