Charly Bliss

It is a curious thing in the age of digital music for a band to have a reputation based more upon its live show than its recorded material. In this occurrence, the power of press is restored, albeit in the form of blogs mostly, and word of mouth becomes a band’s life-blood. Charly Bliss, a self-described Bubblegrunge band from New York City has gained the attention primarily for their live show, despite having two EPs under their belt. Their frenetic live performances, fueled by front-woman Eva Hendricks’ exuberant vocals, have converted audiences in clubs and bars all over the country, gaining them an opening slot for Sleater-Kinney and causing AV Club to call them the “Top Band Without a Debut Album.” With all of this upward motion and a full-length album in the works, it appears this bubble(grunge) is about to burst.

The songs of Charly Bliss are an irresistible blend of 90s sounding alternative rock and pop that is bound to convince any audience that Bubblegrunge is the next big thing. Massive pop-hooks are paired with fuzzed-over guitar chords and a powerful rhythm section on 2014’s Soft Serve EP. The three songs, which remain wonderfully catchy while still hitting heavy and hard, were paired with a series of music videos depicting an under-dog Romantic character beating out the high school jock in a chicken-wing eating contest. By putting a strange twist on a familiar narrative, the trilogy of music videos serves as the perfect example of the band’s pop-music approach, but with no lack of quirk. With the advent of its debut full-length on the horizon, Charly Bliss is poised to become everybody’s new favorite band of 2016.

Jordan Petersen

Presentations at Calvin University

Charly Bliss & DJ Zhem
Wednesday, January 13, 2016 08:00:00 PM
Covenant Fine Arts Recital Hall