The path that led to their first full-length record, Guppy, was anything but straightforward. As the story goes, the band officially started when frontwoman Eva Hendricks and guitarist Spencer Fox, both just 15, crossed paths at a Tokyo Police Club show in New York City, but the ties within the band go much deeper than that. “It’s kind of insane and hilarious,” says Eva, “Sam is my older brother, so obviously we’ve known each other our whole lives, but all of us have been connected to each other since we were little kids. Dan Shure and I dated when we were in our early teens and he and Spencer went to summer camp together. Dan and I broke up years ago, but eventually he’ d become our bass player. The reason we all get along so well has to do with the fact we share this ridiculous history. We are all deeply embedded in each other’s lives.”
After spending years playing shows in and around New York City, the band eventually released an EP (2014’s Soft Serve) and scored opening gigs for the likes of Glass Animals, Darwin Deez, Tokyo Police Club, Sleater-Kinney, as well as a touring spot for their own musical forebears, Veruca Salt. Even though the band had amassed a sizable fanbase and a reputation as a truly formidable live act, the goal of making a full-length record proved to be a fraught series of false-starts. Given their propensity for making hooky, ebullient pop songs, the band often felt out of step with what was happening around them in Brooklyn. (“We weren’t weird in the right ways,” says Sam). They eventually set about recording an album on their own—and then recording it twice—before figuring out what had been staring them in the face the entire time. “We basically had to come to terms with the fact that we are, at heart, a pop band,” recalls Spencer. “Before, it was always trying to decide which of the songs would be more ‘rock’ and which would be more poppy, but we eventually realized we needed to meet in the middle, we had to create an ecosystem where our loud, messy rock sounds could co-exist with these super catchy melodies and pop hooks. It was really about realizing what we’re best at as a band.”
The ten tracks that make up Guppy, Charly Bliss’ sparkling full-length debut, show the band embracing all of their strengths—a combination of ripping guitars and irrepressible pop hooks, all delivered with the hyper-enthusiasm of a middle school cafeteria food fight. That every track is loaded front-to-back with sing/shout-worthy lyrics and earworm melodies is a testament to the band's commitment to the art form of pop songwriting. Opening track “Percolator” sets the tone—all power riffs and yo-yo-ing melodies playing against Hendricks’ acrobatic vocals, which veer from gentle coo to an emphatic squeal:
I’m gonna die in the getaway car! I would try but it sounds too hard! It's a vibe that carries throughout Guppy, a record that shares an undeniable kinship with 90’s alt-rockers like Letters to Cleo and That Dog—bands that balanced melodicism, sugary vocals, and overdriven guitar turned up to 11. It’s an aesthetic that Charly Bliss both embraces and improves upon in tracks like “Ruby” (“We actually wrote the guitar solo by sitting in a circle and passing the guitar around, each of us adding our own notes,” says Fox) and “Glitter”, the record’s first single. “I wanted to make a song about being romantically involved with someone who makes you kind of hate yourself because they are so much like you,” says Hendricks, “A fun song about complicated self-loathing that you could also dance around your bedroom to—that kind of sums us up as a band, actually.”
“Pop music can actually be very subversive,” she continues. “The lyrics that I'm most proud of on the record are me existing both in and out of this overgrown teenybopper feeling—feeling like everything I was going through was the most extreme thing that had ever happened to anyone ever. The songs are often about being totally in the throes of this stuff, but also being able to step out of it and make fun of myself. It’s possible to write songs that really get at all of these dark feelings while also just being really fun to sing and dance to. You can be serious and also sing about peeing while jumping on a trampoline.”
Guppy is a record that doesn’t so much seek to reinvent the pop wheel so much as gleefully refine it. “People forget sometimes that expressing joy is just as important as examining despair,” says Shure. “People need joy, especially right now. We’re all about writing tight pop songs, but also giving people this super enthusiastic release. These songs are kind of the sound of expressing something that you can’t really contain. These are songs you play really loudly when you need to freak out.”
CHARLY BLISS IS
EVA HENDRICKS,
SAM HENDRICKS,
SPENCER FOX,
DAN SHURE
Love Me
Charly Bliss Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cut you down to size and watch you try to run away
'Cause your inconsistency is enough to drive a person insane
Some things we don't say
I've got a sharp pain or a dull ache
Or materials and hands to shake
I like you like I like your things
And you love me, yeah you love me
Just a little less
Up above me, say you love me
Just a little less
I know what happens next
I wish I could look inside your brain
I wish that all my quirks had put me first and kept you sane
Now when we're at your place
We stay up late
The TV's on
Turn it up in case
Some things you can't fake
So I just called to say
Live on in the shitstain
Though we're never gonna beat that day
The town car and the trash can
For the last time, who's your biggest fan?
Now you love me, yeah you love me
Just a little less
Up above me, say you love me
Just a little less
Now you love me, yeah you love me
Just a little less
I know what happens next
I've got a sharp pain or a dull ache
Or materials and hands to shake
I like you like I like your things
And the boxes that I put them in
And you love me, yeah you love me
Just a little less
Up above me, say you love me
Just a little less
Now you love me, yeah you love me
Just a little less
Up above me, say you love me
Just a little less
I know what happens next
The lyrics to Charly Bliss's song "Love Me" convey a sense of emotional instability and insecurity in a relationship. The songwriter wishes that she could assert control over her partner, "drop [them] in one place" and "cut [them] down to size." This feeling stems from the partner's inconsistency, which is "enough to drive a person insane." It seems as though the couple has difficulty communicating and discussing their issues ("Some things we don't say").
Despite this tension, the songwriter admits to having strong feelings for her partner. She has "got a sharp pain or a dull ache" and "materials and hands to shake" - perhaps a reference to nerves or anxiety - but still likes her partner and "the boxes" that they come with. The repeated lines of "And you love me, yeah you love me / Just a little less / Up above me, say you love me / Just a little less" suggest that the partner's love is waning or being withheld in some way.
The second half of the song includes lyrics that are more abstract, with references to "the shitstain" and "the town car and the trash can." However, the overall sense of confusion and uncertainty remains. The songwriter is aware that she is not the most important thing in her partner's life ("I wish that all my quirks had put me first and kept you sane"), but still wants to be loved and affirmed.
Overall, "Love Me" is a complex and emotionally charged song that tackles themes of jealousy, insecurity, and frustration in relationships. While the specific references may be unclear, the overall sentiment is relatable and powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I could drop you in one place
I wish I could keep you fixed in one place
Cut you down to size and watch you try to run away
I want to confront you and watch you feel vulnerable
'Cause your inconsistency is enough to drive a person insane
Your unpredictability is frustrating and can make me crazy
Some things we don't say
Sometimes we hold back from sharing our true feelings
I've got a sharp pain or a dull ache
I am experiencing discomfort
Or materials and hands to shake
I am preoccupied with my belongings and the people I come in contact with
I like you like I like your things
I enjoy you and your possessions equally
And the boxes that I put them in
I am protective of my possessions and keep them in a safe place
And you love me, yeah you love me
You claim to love me
Just a little less
But not as much as before
Up above me, say you love me
You still show love but in a passive, lesser manner
I know what happens next
I understand the outcome
I wish I could look inside your brain
I wish I knew what you're thinking
I wish that all my quirks had put me first and kept you sane
I wish my unusual characteristics had placed me as a priority and maintained your stability
Now when we're at your place
Now when we are in your zone
We stay up late
We keep ourselves awake until the early hours
The TV's on
We are watching television
Turn it up in case
Increase the volume, just in case
Some things you can't fake
Some situations can't be pretended
So I just called to say
I phoned just to express
Live on in the shitstain
Remain a part of the negative past event
Though we're never gonna beat that day
Even though we will never surpass that time
The town car and the trash can
Two opposite things coexisting
For the last time, who's your biggest fan?
Tell me one last time who is your most supportive fan?
Now you love me, yeah you love me
You still have feelings for me
Just a little less
But not as strongly as before
Up above me, say you love me
You still feel affection, but from a distance
I know what happens next
I realize the outcome of our relationship
Writer(s): George Forrest, Robert Wright
Contributed by Evan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lionfyst
The half time pre-chorus is everything.
Duarte Matias
Hey Charly Bliss, I just wanted to say that this became my new favorite song. I am so happy that I found you, I love you guys so much!
The chorus drops so fucking hard!! It's amazing!!
hells
i used to listen to these guys at the end of my senior year of high school so it always reminds me of summer and exams and i miss it so much
Blue Television Games
This song is sooooo good
Grier Rouse
Holy shit, just saw you guys give Glass Animals a run for their money earlier in Raleigh. Great show guys, you've gained a fan.
miked4309
+Grier Rouse yup...if you see charly bliss live you will be an instant fan. eva is bliss.
i wish them the best.
Deathtrap Cult
This is what I though being a teenager would be like. Instead it was just crippling depression.
Andrea Marie
I just saw these guys this past Tuesday and their liveliness on stage was pretty stellar... I need more Charly Bliss in my life.
Wolfgang 644
Yeah this songs rocks and here's Eva wit them killer soothing vocals😍❤🎸
May Sencha
Saw you guys opened up for Veruca Salt in Minneapolis last night. You guys were awesome!
Oh yeah, and happy birthday Eva Hendricks!