New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Charlie Martin, one half of the Austin duo Hovvdy, shares a video for "Courage," a stand-out track from his debut solo album, Imaginary People. Gold Flake Paint, who premiered the video and profiled
Martin today, is saying it is "indicative of the record's mellow, mesmerizing heart."
Calling it "a quietly upbeat song loosely based around what it means and requires to share parts of yourself with the wider world; about art as a coping mechanism through terrible times."
"'Courage' was the first song I wrote when I decided to make Imaginary People. There were a big handful of songs I had shelved from previous years - all with the intention of sharing them one day soon - but I knew I wanted to bring a lot of new life to the record," says Martin. "'Courage' was sort of the first step. It's about staying within yourself and acknowledging that it takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there. I'm so inspired when I see my friends and people I love putting art into the world - it's actually the best thing. And especially lately, it's such a wonderful coping mechanism - creating and receiving art - within all the flux. I've never felt more compelled to dive in head first."
Returning rootsy influences, Charlie Martin's gentle Southern tone paints in the timeless tradition of an Arthur Russell or Jon Brion. "I've always found it therapeutic to weave fictional characters into songs, folding them into my own real or imaginary experiences. Usually, the character is someone I can help, or maybe they can help me - someone I empathize with and can learn from," said Martin. "I want people to hear the songs and feel comforted or lifted up. That's always my goal."
Imaginary People is out now via Grand Jury.
Charlie
Martin is a Texan artist and producer. Six years ago, Charlie and collaborator Will Taylor combined likeminded batches of material to form the Austin-based project Hovvdy. During a year without touring, between sessions for the steady indie-pop band's next album, Charlie reworked songs amassed over the years alongside new creations. A hand-hewn set of colorful tales, Imaginary People introduces a spacious, singer-songwriter format to Charlie's celebrated pop compositions. Elegant piano lines and sturdy acoustic strums anchor the brilliantly determined solo debut.
Welcoming and sympathetic, the collection of Imaginary People teems with a community of characters in daily scenes of compassion. There's the reliable Madison, a childhood best friend, or the large-looming Mister Heavy, an ethical compass of sorts. Shouldering the weight of the world, he stands in for religion and other archetypal influences. Much like the vivid album artwork, Charlie's moral allegories land somewhere between Richard Scarry and Steinbeck.
Charlie says: "I've always found it therapeutic to weave fictional characters into songs, folding them into my own real or imaginary experiences. Usually, the character is someone I can help, or maybe they can help me - someone I empathize with and can learn from. I want people to hear the songs and feel comforted or lifted up. That's always my goal."
Returning to rootsy influences, Charlie's gentle Southern tone paints in the timeless tradition of an Arthur Russell or Jon Brion. The artist traveled to Mississippi, where he and his wife both have familial ties, to record on an 1870s Steinway grand piano at his mother-in-law's house. Charlie says it's "the first piano I ever really fell in love with." A large room opened up the wistful melodies with engineer Evan Kaspar.
Between trips to L.A. for work on the fourth Hovvdy LP, solo recording wrapped at Austin's Estuary Recording. Streamlined arrangements allow for an earnest, unfiltered presentation of Imaginary People. The songs are reminders to stand firm and grounded. The exuberant rush of "
September" sets an intention for a new chapter. In "Courage," it is artistic fortification - "a song you made up / it takes courage / a poem / it takes courage.
