New York City producer Charlie Nieland returns with ‘Redshift,’ a shimmering dream-pop single from his upcoming EP The Ocean Understands, coming out June 20.
Following the release of ‘Drown,’ the first single off his EP, ‘Redshift’ delves into the experience of creating your own chosen family through the lens of cosmic expansion and astrophysical wonder. It blends layered textures and evocative songwriting, continuing Nieland’s rich legacy of sonic exploration.
One standout lyric emerges early in the song: “In the redshift / You see what you choose / You can do this / The life that’s right in front of you”
These lyrics carry an introspective tone, encapsulating the song’s central themes of perception, agency, and transformation.
“Redshift is a slice of dream pop about growing up – as viewed from space. The book STRAY, by Tanya Marquardt, got me thinking about how we choose new families when we’re alienated from our birth ones. This coincided with another thing I was reading about Steven Hawking and astrophysics. The song became a little field guide on how to put your own story into a cosmic context,” Nieland said.
“There’s an eerie freedom to embracing life when the universe is pulling apart. While in lockdown, I’d made up a modal exercise for the guitar and it was a perfect shimmering fit for this, with Billy Loose’s symphonic drums bringing it all down to earth. More gorgeous art and video clips by Hypnodoll™.
Nieland’s extensive musical backstory, includes over two decades of playing dream pop with Her Vanished Grace before establishing himself as a solo artist. With a mix of nuanced songwriting and sonic experimentation, he initially released ‘Ice Age’(2014) and ‘Hopeful Monsters’(2016). He is currently half of the literature-inspired songwriting and performing duo Lusterlit with Susan Hwang and produces and participates in the podcast ‘An Embarrassment of Prog’
Along the way, Nieland wrote and produced material with notable artists such as Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Dead Leaf Echo, Blondie and Scissor Sisters. .
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Earlier this year, Charlie Nieland released The Ocean Understands‘ striking lead track, ‘Drown’— a reverb-soaked, psychedelic siren song whose video was directed by multi-disciplinary artist Hypnodoll. Inspired by dystopian themes, the mythical, psychedelic siren song ‘Drown’ explores a dark, authoritarian past through fragmented futuristic storytelling. Amidst violent oceanic forces and the wreckage of the present, the track searches for moments of grace.
“With its mind-melting imagery, the video for ‘Drown’, created by NYC multimedia artist Hypnodoll, is beautiful and deranged,” Nieland said. “She conjures storytelling just out or rational reach, playing tag with the ancient and futuristic in a way that perfectly compliments the song. Collaborating with her is such a thrill”.
The upcoming single, ‘Redshift’ arrives on the thrall of the reverb-laced lead track, Drown.
Fans of Radiohead, PJ Harvey, Beach House, The National, Genesis, Arcade Fire, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and The War on Drugs will find plenty to love here.
‘RedShift’ is now available from fine digital music platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. The Ocean Understands EP, now available for pre-order directly from the artist, will be released on June 20.
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