KATHMANDU effortlessly captures the golden haze of summer love in their most recent single, "Charlie." It's a singular kind of song, sweet and sentimental, and straightforward enough that it exists to make you want to roll the windows down a bit and feel the air hit.
Shaped by the subtle intersection of folk rock and indie rock, "Charlie" is disarmingly unassuming. It doesn't overreach or push too hard emotionally. But it embraces the ephemeral magic of those moments when someone new makes your world a little brighter. There's a nifty, streetwise charm to how light and off-the-cuff it is, because that's how it began. What started as a homage to Charlie Burg's "Don't Wanna Be Okay Without You" has become something entirely different.
Headed by the sharp songwriting of Donna Marie, what sets KATHMANDU apart is their knack for penning songs that live in emotional contrast, jaded yet thoughtful, dreamy yet grounded. But "Charlie" may be one of their most earnest offerings to date. Stripped down and funky, the track has that kind of shine, the type of track you'd slide onto the playlist you listen to when the sun goes down and the planet starts to spin a little slower. It has a very reflective quality about it. Whether it's a road trip out to the coast or lying in bed looking up at the ceiling, "Charlie" captures a universal feeling like the small but intense joy of liking someone without needing to think about it too much.
And though the band wasn't hoping for a lot from this sappy little summer song, audiences soon told them otherwise. It resonated in concert, turning into an unexpected live favorite. That genuine connection is what would ultimately turn "Charlie" from a frivolous melody into a sentimental nag. The most basic signoff is immortal because of its contribution to an industry that forces us to believe the most primitive of songs are going to mark us forever. In "Charlie," KATHMANDU is asking us to take a moment to slow down, smile, and even fall in love with the minute. It's soft music with a pulse, pure and golden, precisely what summer sounds like.
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