Released just last month, the track of the week belongs to the kiff indie-trio We Are Charlie. Hey Friend proves how up-and-coming indie bands in SA have hit the ground running, giving the big guys a run for their money. This head-bopping, groovy song will have you drop whatever you’re doing and fall in-swing with an embarrassing yet fun white boy dance.
As with their EP ‘Open’, Hey Friend is delightfully chilled yet cheeky in terms of what we’ve come to know as ‘South African Indie-Rock’. The humble and relaxed guitar-work leads you in with a catchy groove that has your feet moving throughout the whole track. The up-beat and sassy nature of this track’s vocals will have you singing along with frontman Dylan Christie in no time. “Row” van Eeden and Wes Reinecke dutifully oblige on the bass and drums, respectively, to create a sweet local indie tune. With compliments from Thomas Revington and Jean-Michel Wickli – one can safely We Are Charlie are worth a listen, or 20.
We Are Charlie’s music is not out of place in the local indie scene, however, they bring a unique Charlie-eqsue style to the scenes output. For this trio it is only the beginning and they have already made a reputable contribution to an already booming local indie scene.
Currently number 4 on the Reverbnations Johannesburg Indie Chart and having played alongside South African indie greats Shortstraw and ISO, these three guys from Pretoria are turning heads on the wave of their only EP release. With performances at Boosh, Howl, and most recently, Park Acoustics, We Are Charlie are well on their way to solidifying their place in the lore of local indie. Hopefully Hey Friend and their other new track, Summer House will eventually lead up to a full album release (Hint Hint).
written by Andrew Marias
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