Fall may be approaching soon, but there’s still plenty of time for a few late-summer parties. And although the summer may have been controlled by a different pop Charli, the NYC-based power-pop quartet Charly Bliss made sure to throw one big party at the Royale on Friday. The band is touring in support of their excellent third album, Forever, their first album in five long years. Although the band has always been very grounded in pop music, Forever sheds many of the grunge elements of their first two records in favor of pure, unfiltered power-pop. The band brought the album on the road for a rollicking and joyous night last Friday.
First up on the night was Raffaella, another NYC-based pop artist. I didn’t do my normal due diligence of binging an opener’s entire catalog, so I went into her set blind. It was a logical fit – she said herself that her music is inspired by Charly Bliss. It strongly resembled the power-pop of Forever, and the crowd ate it up. She was given a healthy forty-minute set, in which she played eight songs from her two EP’s and two new tracks, hinting at a debut album in the works. Songs like “Millennial” and “Polly Pocket” were lab-tested for the crowd that was, appropriately, very millennial. She also came out dressed like an athlete, feigning a rivalry between NYC and Boston. It was a very fun and loose set, quickly winning over the folks who were unfamiliar with her music. And that wasn’t everyone – there were plenty of people singing along already. If prompted to name a bigger artist to compare Raffaella to, I’d have a knee-jerk answer: Charly Bliss.
Charly Bliss came out and launched immediately into the bombastic opener to their new album, “Tragic.” The song has an infectious energy and a memorable vocal hook, a perfect song to grab the crowd from the drop. The band followed it up with “Calling You Out” and “I Don’t Know Anything,” two more great cuts from Forever. In total the band played ten of the twelve songs off their new album, including the lead single “Nineteen” and the excellent ballad “Last First Kiss.” Many of the album’s songs – both bangers and ballads – sound designed for a live show. True to form, the band was having a blast playing them. It was only the second show of their tour, and after a long gap the band was visibly itching to play these new songs. Singer Eva Hendricks was bouncing around the stage all night, as giddy as I’ve ever seen an artist to be playing live, even as she struggled through multiple guitar tech issues. Those didn’t impact the show, if anything they only added to the relaxed and bouncy atmosphere of the night.
The band did play some old cuts too, interspersing four songs from their 2019 album Young Enough and three from their 2017 debut Guppy, as well as last year’s standalone single “You Don’t Even Know Me Anymore.” It was very curious to hear these older songs played alongside newer ones; it’s not uncommon for indie bands to grow poppier, but rarely does it happen so quickly and so naturally. Their new songs are largely devoid of rock elements, yet still feature full band assemblage. Guitarist Spencer Fox joked that Forever is how the band was always supposed to sound, and it shows. The older songs added some necessary punches into the pop-heavy setlist, making something very well-balanced.
Those of us that like spoilers and snuck a peek at a previous setlist knew how the show was going to end, and it was fun to watch a realization wash over the crowd. A two-song encore consisted of the 2019 cut “Chatroom” followed by a cover of a millennial anthem, “Since U Been Gone.” Hendricks was the perfect person to belt out Kelly Clarkson’s legendary vocals, and indeed the song’s sneaky backing band elements were a clear inspiration on Forever. There wasn’t a single planted foot in the Royale, a full dance party waving goodbye to a fun summer. Everyone dispersed into a gorgeous night early – the show was over at 9:30! – to either find their quieter afterparties or, true for this tired millennial, home to bed.
Check out all of Wendy’s photos from the show below:
