CHARLIE COLLINS: Out of the Blue & Into the Black

"Honey, can we run away?” is what Australian singersongwriter Charlie Collins found herself asking in her second release of 2021 after spending some time absorbing Ernest Hemingway’s novel Across The River and Into The Trees, an emotional and symbolic story of a dying solider and his final love affair.

Besides Honey Can We Run Away, a lovingly crafted ballad, Charlie’s released three singles from her upcoming album. Just My Luck, an angsty and grungy alt rock track, Undone, a heartfelt pop & country-inspired ballad, and the aptly named Fuck It, a visceral break-up blast.

Charlie’s unique portfolio of solid indie tracks sway gracefully between the different sounds and genres of Australia’s vibrant soundscape. Even when paying attention to the sonic range explored throughout her releases from just this year, her raw trademark of genre defiance clearly presents itself.

When looking into her roots, it’s no surprise Charlie Collins has emerged as the soulful and diverse artist she is today. Growing up in the music hub of Tamworth, Charlie was surrounded by inspiration from a young age, and that shows both in her music and career development. She could be found on stage as young as nine years old alongside Kasey Chambers, Keith Urban and the like, she’s done the rounds playing in different indie and alt bands across the country for the past 10 years, and she’s also released solo music spanning multiple genres since 2018 — she’s a musician with many outlets. Charlie’s repertoire ranges from warm folk ballads with Stevie Nicks-style sultry and mellow stacked vocals, to glassy modern pop, and all the way to grungy and punchy indie rock, each diverse track with a common underlying theme: a narrative.

“From a young age, my dad always drilled in the importance of storytelling in songs,” she says.

Honey Can We Run Away is also a collaboration with Kasey Chambers, who Charlie cited as a mentor to her from a young age.

To new fans it may seem, as Neil Young might say, that hey hey, my my, Charlie’s been out of the blue and into the black, much like her sound, as it spans genres, going out of the blue and into the black with each new release. But the truth is, she’s been hard at work with her solo career for years now and her rolling stone is gathering pace. Charlie’s story has spanned far, but is still unfolding, and picking up the pieces of the narrative she’s been telling through her music is a joy for anyone.

Honey Can We Run Away is available on Spotify, YouTube Music and Deezer. You can find out more about Charlie Collins on her website at charliecollinsmusic.com or on her Facebook page.

WRITTEN BY LUKA FORMAN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHE IS APHRODITE