Intriguing possibilities abound for multi-instrumentalist Charlie Needs Braces and her upcoming album tour, with a slew of dates set for March and April.
With Saltwater People, Charlie has created an album that is both personal and universal, a celebration of culture, history, and the power of music to connect us all.
The Saltwater People album bursts into life with Alla Indore, a primal, electrifying blend of EDM, jazz, and indigenous rhythms that set the heart pounding. It’s an explosive opening that immediately reveals the deep connection between Charlie and her Aboriginal roots.
The album’s theme of constant change and the importance of female family lineage is threaded throughout the tracks, as seen in Misinformation, where bluesy trumpets and harmonies bridge the past and present.
Daryung delves into the darker emotional landscape, its pulsing rhythm providing a steady beat that grounds and connects you to the present. Saltwater People is a standout track, a total banger that encapsulates the heart and soul of the album.
The Bunya Interlude maintains the heartbeats and vocal harmonies that course through mother nature, bringing a sense of oneness.
Big Bully tackles the expectations and contradictions of the music industry, while Go to Sleep, with its pulsing horns and breathy vocals, courses through your veins like blood on a restless night. The harmonious Yanoo leads into the EDM journey of Meteor Shower, which propels you into the universe.
Pride, a beautiful tribute to Charlie’s grandmother, is a fitting end to the album. From the welcome song in Alla Indore to the closing track, the album draws heavily on GuriNgai culture, using their language, totems, and instruments to create a truly unique and powerful listening experience.
The title track of her debut album Saltwater People, released just last week, features brass-laden instrumentation and serves as a tribute to the GuriNgai Mob’s deep connection to her native land and the imperative to preserve our ecosystem and waters.
Now, Charlie has unveiled the accompanying video, a visualiser from the adept hands of Master Kapow that strikes a balance between playfulness and power, further highlighting her formidable storytelling abilities.
Shot on GuriNgai Country, which spans from the Central Coast of NSW along the mouth of the Deerabin river (also known as the Hawkesbury) and into Northern Sydney, the video showcases various breathtaking locales, from a beach with caves and crashing waves to the Grandmother tree at Kariong and towering trees in the bush.
Despite the loss of her grandfather just before filming, Charlie and Master Kapow manage to infuse the video with light-hearted dancing and sweeping landscape shots, while capturing the deep sense of grief and vulnerability felt by Charlie and her female family tree: Grandmother, Mum, eldest sister, and little sister.
The video was inspired by three-story themes: Indigenous history, landscapes always in flux and female family lineage, and it reflects Charlie and Miri’s close ties to Aboriginal cultural practices and their engagement with the GuriNgai Mob.
With Saltwater People (Gyrosteam/Independent), Charlie Needs Braces delivers a musical feast that will get you dancing, help you heal, and inspire you with its stories.
‘Saltwater People’ track was recorded in Naarm on Wurundjeri Country, and the video clip was filmed and performed on the land of the GuriNgai and Awabakal people.
Charlie is taking her immersive and dynamic live show on the road with dates across the country, kicking off with an album launch show at Shotickers on Friday 17 March and closing with an instore at Desert Highways launching her Exclusive Toothbrush Merch on Saturday 27 May.
Full Dates below:
Charlie Needs Braces ‘Saltwater People’ Tour + Upcoming Shows
Saturday 11 February
Feminista Vinyl Instore (Naarm)
2pm + Free Entry
Sunday 19 February
St Kilda Festival (Kulin Nations/VIC)
3.20pm + Free Entry
Saturday 25 February
Oops A Daisy Festival (Edendale Farm/Wurundjeri/VIC)
Tickets
Saturday 4 March
Summer in the Valley (Moonee Ponds/Naarm)
Free Entry
Sunday 5 March
Sydney Road Street Party (Naarm)
Event Program
Friday 17 March
Saltwater People Album Launch
Shotkickers (Naarm)
Tickets
Saturday 18 March
Mona on the Lawn (Nipaluna/Hobart TAS)
12-4pm
Sunday 19 March
Simple Cider (Nipaluna/Hobart TAS)
with Woolworths// Flushot
Friday 24 March
The Eastern (Wathaurong/Ballarat VIC)
with Georgia Fields
Friday 31 March
House With No Walls’ (Dyungungoo/Sunshine Coast QLD)
with Una Heera and Andrea Kirwin
Saturday 1 April
Queen Street Mall (Meanjin/Brisbane QLD)
Sunday 2 April
The Bearded Lady (Meanjin/Brisbane QLD)
with Elktung and Una Heera
Friday 7 – Saturday 8 April
Far East Music Festival (Bidwell/Mallacoota VIC)
Tickets
Sunday 9 April
Renaissance Festival (Boon Wurrung Lang Lang, VIC)
Tickets
Friday 5 May
Gods Bandroom (Boon Wurrung/Mornington, VIC)
Saturday 27 May
Exclusive Toothbrush Instore
Desert-Highways (Naarm)
Free Entry
