Songwriters very rarely cross the boundary between themselves and their audiences. We often find music which falls into a manner of categories; songs written for the political, for the emotional, for the narrative or for the creation of a soundscape, however there is always a clear division between listener, writer, and material.
Music is liquid, a poetry of experience that flows into whichever time and space it is played, leaving it distinctly coloured by the essence of that moment. From then on, those melodies will transport you back to that exact time, no matter where you are. Yet, how many songs do you hear that wrestle with this inherent beauty in being the listener, that seek to break down barriers between writer and audience? Enter Charlie Burg.
Unlike his contemporaries, Charlie Burg is writing from within the audience. Channel Orange In Your Living Room explores the record that music captures of a listener’s life, and way that this enriches our ever-unfolding narratives.
The 23-year old Detroit native has already made a name for himself with his stellar archive of glimmering psych-pop. However, as one of FADER Label’s newest signings, Burg’s latest release has elevated his music to a level that most artists only dream of.
Channel Orange In Your Living Room is inherently a track packed with beaming alt-pop stylings, and a backlit kaleidoscope of hooks, layered vocals and acoustic guitar. Burg’s lyrics are a pedestrian narrative of love, nostalgia and hope, yet they manage to capture the soul and essence of music itself.
An an act of admirable hyper-literacy, Burg has created a song about songs. A track that records the exact moment in which music flows into a space, moulds into an exact likeness of its setting, and forever retains the same hue. The single was written for the audience, but in the most emotionally intelligent sense of the phrase. Celebrating their instrumental role in immortalising and enriching music, reflecting a universal experience, and embracing them into the songwriting process, rather than commodifying them.
It is this brilliance which has landed Burg reference by FADER co-founder Jon Cohen as an “incredible talent”. Described as his “most self-assured track yet”, the one take, one room single and music video gives life to the complex nuances that make up a song’s life-span.
“I want people to know that every and any story can be interesting if you find the narrative in it,” he explains about the track. “Some songwriters might lack confidence in their own story, but the fact is that their lives are the stories that no one else owns. When people hear my music, I want them to be able to look inside themselves and realize there’s life, art, and beauty in everything.”
With no intention of slowing down anytime soon, Burg’s intelligent and universal approach to songwriting will continue to take him far. It’s only a matter of time before we see what other groundbreaking moves he pulls next.
Channel Orange In Your Living Room is out now.