From Jet to Arctic Monkeys, the Brisbane rocker breaks down the tracks that fuel his explosive debut.
Brisbane indie-rock artist Charlie Sloan has spent years shaping his sound as a dynamic guitarist and emotive songwriter, supporting acts like Ixaras and Lottie McLeod.
Now, as he prepares to launch his debut solo single, Crown (July 2025), he shares the songs that fuel his creative fire.
From the gritty punch of Jet to the swagger of Arctic Monkeys, Sloan’s playlist is a love letter to rock’s raw energy and melodic hooks.
Dive into the anthems that shaped Crown, and the artist behind it.
Runaway Blues – Greta Van Fleet
Runaway blues by Greta Van Fleet gives a fast paced and aggressive sound that I love, especially when the guitar solo kicks in. It is a great song to have a one minute rage to.
These Are The Days – Inhaler
This song by inhaler gives me a very happy and energetic vibe with the really nice sense in the background and the pumping bass line. You really get a sense of nostalgia. This song made me want to write more upbeat music.
Baby Said – Måneskin
Baby Said by Måneskin is a great song as I love the way that the drums and guitar synchronise with the riff. The song gives a very European Roxanne vibe with the vocals and the way that the rhythm is with the song and how you can really dance to it.
It Won’t Always Be Like This – Inhaler
This has gotta be one of my favourite songs at the moment because I really love the beautiful vibe of the instruments and the lyrics.
The way that Elijah, the singer, sings his harmonies over the chorus makes the song very powerful and very distinct. I like the way that the whole band comes alive in the chorus.
Black Eyes – Bradley cooper
One of my favourite movies of all time is “A Star Is Born,” and the soundtrack to this movie does not disappoint. The song ‘Black Eyes’ is used to open up.
This is a great song as you can hear the pumping guitar which kinda has that blues country rock feel to it which is really inspiring and helped me write ‘Crown.’
Cold Hard Bitch – Jet
Cold Hard Bitch by Jet is another song that inspired ‘Crown’. I love the fact that this song has a classic Australian rock sound with the loud and aggressive vocals and guitar.
Although this song is very simple it leaves with a massive punch and is a great song to listen to especially when you’re in a mad mood.
Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand is a great and pumping song. This really gave me inspiration as it came out of the 2000’s garage rock revival and also has a great indie sound to it.
I like this song distinctly because of the guitar tones and the way that the band sounds in the chorus.
Figure It Out – Royal Blood
This song by Royal Blood is a great English rock track. This song draws many inspirations from artists such as Led Zeppelin but also touches on more modern rock genres such as bands like Muse and Kings of Leon.
I like this song for the drive, the punch and the vocal melodies.
Safari Song – Greta Van fleet
Safari Song by Greta Van Fleet is one of my favourite songs mainly because of the vocals and the guitar riff.
The vocals standout as this is a more vocal focused genre and you don’t hear much of that anymore.
Somebody – Bryan Adams
Somebody by Bryan Adams is a great song. I love the nostalgic feel, through the guitar tones, the way that the drum sounds while they’re pumping and the way vocals sound.
Crazy – ICEHOUSE
Crazy by ICEHOUSE is a classic Australian song with that nostalgic 80s sound. I love this song as I grew up with icehouse and I’ve always looked to their music for inspiration.
I Can’t Wait – Stevie Nicks
I Can’t Wait by Stevie Nicks is an extremely nostalgic mid 80s track, and I love the lyrics and the vocals in this song.
My main source of inspiration is the way that the guitar and band sound. I love the poppy sound of the 80s and I love how tight everything in this song sounds.
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys
This song shows more of a modern side to rock music and the way that rock and indie really came together in the 2000s and early 2010s.
I love this song for the swag factor. I also love the fact that this song really just makes you feel cool whenever you listen to it yet it still has a pumping sound to it.
I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness
This is a classic rock n’ roll song from the 2000s. I love this song because of everything in the vocals, guitar, drums and bass. This song makes you feel like you can fly.
It’s a great testament to show how rock music has changed over the years, but it’s also kept that great factor to it that makes it so beautiful.
Words by Charlie Sloan
