Charlie Lane Bears It All On Her Latest Album, “I’m Okay Now But I Wasn’t”
By: Chris Buxton IG: @chrisbuxtonllg
Have you ever listened to an artist or duo that caught your attention on the first listen? If so, what made them standout? Was it their cadence? Overall delivery? Songwriting? This week, I came across a rising duo that made me fall in love with music all over again. That singer is Charlie Lane.
Charlie Lane is a Naarm-based singer-songwriter that has taken the industry by storm with her ability to craft songs that evoke raw emotions out of her listeners. She is daring, charismatic, and captivating. Personally, she is a pioneer of this new generation of artists that are bearing it all in their music. As listeners, it is our job to not settle for plastic music. We need to highlight the artists that are making music with substance, and that is why Charlie Lane has caught my attention. To add to her talents, Lane is a queer & disabled artist, but I consider those to be her superpowers. She’s able to view the world from a different perspective, and that makes her interesting. Her life experiences allow her music to be driven by energetic production & introspective lyrics that reach the hearts of all that listen. Now, she enters our pages with her latest album, “I’m Okay Now But I Wasn’t”.
“I’m Okay Now But I Wasn’t” is an 11-track masterpiece, and I consider it to be her magnum opus. It is that good, and I can’t believe this is her debut album. These records are raw, vulnerable, & passionate. After going back and listening to her song “Sail”, you can see the maturity and growth in her songwriting and overall vocal performance. The album is polished and cohesive which allows her story and themes to be in the forefront. “I’m Okay Now But I Wasn’t” is an album about love, loss, and grief. As someone who recently lost their girlfriend of 9-years to cancer, this album means everything to me. I felt like my feelings were validated, and her lyrics made me feel like I wasn’t alone. I feel like an alien in my own life, and it’s hard to relate to the person I was before. That person left with her. My battles with mental health were discussed through her own experiences, and I loved how she was able to sing about this topic in her songs.
My favorite songs from album were “Ginger”, “Gone”, & “I Hate Me”. “Ginger” is a beautiful record that she wrote at 16. Sonically, this is one of the best songs on the album. It is laced with engaging strings and the gospel backing vocals added depth to the overall sound. This song is a testament to her growth and maturity as a person & artist. “Gone” is the song that I relate to the most right now. I’m in a place of no return, and I often feel like there isn’t a point in continuing. It’s dark, but it is built on jazzy pop sounding track. I find the song to be beautiful. The fact that darker lyrics can be put on a cheerful beat shows her talent. Lastly, “I Hate Me” is a must-listen. “I Hate Me” is a song about self-hatred and internalized emotions. The record starts off with soft sounding production before building into a knockout pop-punk hit. However, although song morphs, the self-hatred stays. Overall, this is one of the most needed albums. This album has changed my life in many ways. So, stream it below and vibe out!
