The new Charlie PS single ‘Ghost Of You’ comes in with the wrong side of the train track blues. The chugging guitar sets the pace and with every second spent submersed in the song it just continues building on in power and electric shake tingles.
It has the swagger of the south, the venom of regret, and the sparking electricity of rock’n’roll. This is songwriting that enjoys straddling across genres and channelling the strongest aspect of each.
Lyrically Charlie PS shows off true skill as a writer creating a rich backdrop for the narrative. It’s rooted in the storytelling of the blues but with enough blood on the vocals to lift it into the realm of a boot stomping rock song. In just under 3 minutes we are introduced to a story of passion, and remorse. The refrain of ‘he’s already dead’ is strangely upbeat and encourages the listener to sing along despite the darkness.
While we hope the story isn’t wholly truthful through the parable we explore the themes it presents through a clever and entertaining journey.
At 1:25 we are treated to a delightful little bridge that allows Charlie P S to show off her soaring vocal range and lets the song as a whole lift itself to another plane completely.
“We’re going down, down, down, buried six feet underground, pulled the trigger, sealed my fate”
The track itself is filled with rich instrumentation. It’s warm, full, and cosy. The slide guitar twists itself into your gut to unlock a beaming smile from the head and a swampy ol’ stomp along from your feet.
Charlie PS is a phenomenal songstress. If this is a taste of the deep and dark narratives we can expect from the rest of the EP, then we’ll be sat at the crossroads bargaining our soul with Satan for the first listen of a full length album.
Check out the Charlie PS website for the debut EP.
Words by Matt Miles
