King Charles releases new single ‘Freak’ today. It has a woozy neo-soul vibe, posessed by a far darker undercurrent… “It’s reflective of my mood and where I was…I was trying to understand what is it to be human, to be an artist, to be a monster. I needed a way to express the pain and that’s the beautiful thing about creativity. It feeds back into you, so you understand more about the things that colour your identity.” says Charles.
King Charles has announced that his new album will be titled ‘Out Of My Mind’ and is due for release this April 17th. The album expresses his journey of recovery to mental and physical health and is a collection of soulful and eclectic songs that portray Charles’ flamboyant personality and showcases a fascinating reinvention of King Charles. His full recovery since his serious ski accident in 2010 has made way for a collelction of soul searching songs and proved his determination and strength of will. Charles snuck a mini-synth into hospital and wrote some of the album whilst there until he was fully discharged in 2018.
The diverse collection of sounds in ‘Out Of My Mind’ span everything from desire to depression. While its topics can be heavy, the album’s most striking strength is its energy.
As Charles explains, “I started exploring a new energy with this record that reflected the changes in how I felt since I wrote my last album. Life was running at a different tempo, and the different cities I found myself in largely contributed to setting a new pace. I wanted to challenge myself as an artist and a singer to see what I was capable of.”
To support the new album, he will also perform a string of UK Headline dates and festivals this May (see full dates blow) as well as full album track listing). King Charles has spent the last year reconnecting with fans by dropping a series of tracks which push his sound into bold new directions. ‘Out Of My Mind’will be his third collection of songs after ‘Loveblood’(2012) and ‘Gamble for a Rose’(2016).
The London-based musician kick-started his comeback with ‘Deeper Love’, a sensual soul strut, in which King Charles’ flamboyant falsetto flies above his new found funk-fuelled groove. It explores modern love in 2019 and the track was supported by the likes of Lauren Laverne, Cerys Matthews and John Kennedy. ‘Melancholy Julia’then puts a fresh twist on his ability to craft beautiful melodies with assertive hooks, before ‘Money is God’took a leap into the unexpected. Addressing culture’s dominant driving factor, ‘Money is God’ used trap’s core characteristics as the launchpad for something altogether more theatrical.
The tracks give a taste of what to expect from the new album. Touring the States in the midst of Trump’s presidential campaign, Charles was fascinated by the polarity that the future POTUS inspired. It resulted in Charlesreturning to New York, his aim being to record a calypso album. NYC’s bleak winter, however, didn’t fit that mood and instead he reunited with the Grammy-nominated producer Matthew Wilder as he experimented with new ideas in Los Angeles and London.
King Charles will take the ‘Out Of My Mind’ album out on the road in May(dates below).
Fans can buy tickets from this Friday 21st February at 10am: https://kingcharlesmusic.com/
King Charles UK Tour Dates;
3rd May – Newcastle, Hit the North
4th May – Glasgow, Classic Grand
5th May – Birmingham, Castle & Falcon
6th May – Nottingham, Glee Club
7th May – Bristol, Thekla
12thMay – Cambridge, The Portland Arms
13thMay – London, Omeara
‘Out of My Mind’ full album track listing;
SIDE A
Freak
Out Of My Mind
Deeper Love
Money Is God
Melancholy Julia
SIDE B
She’s A Freak
Drive All Night New York Sunrise
Watchman
Feel These Heavy Times