“Sharl connects her memories with her music on ‘City Lights’, so much so that we feel as if we’re pondering our thoughts and walking along the streets with her.”
It has been great to follow Sharl on her 2022 journey as a musician, releasing songs she enjoys making and she knows her fans will enjoy listening, ready to put them together and reveal a few more on her debut album ‘City Lights’. The album is a breath of fresh air in the industry, from the way she hasn’t been afraid to try out other styles so she can form her own to the many ways she has opened up to her fans on her songs.
First up is Sharl’s March single ‘I fell in love’, which opens with a section of the chorus that then adjusts into a slower tempo. Now we hear a middle ground between melancholia and euphoria. After descriptive verses hinting at her recent freedom, we get to hear more detail about Sharl releasing herself from the situation regarding ‘the wrong guy’. ‘The ones who surround me, they never let me down, I only look onwards now’, she sings. ‘I fell in love’ is followed by ‘Games’, a tune abounded with high notes and a quick rhythm. Meanwhile, the instrumental smartly discloses a sound that resembles a video game itself.
During ‘Lonely’, we can relate to or get a strong sense of the reality of suffering alone. On the surface, phrases like ‘every inch of me is screaming out for you’ or ‘the cruellest existence’ may seem dramatic, but how Sharl sings them proves that every line is an accurate representation of this sorrow.
Sharl experiments with the last three decades on ‘3 words’, channelling 90s indie and 00s pop rock, adding sprinkles of 10s production in the verses too. We also know exactly what Sharl means by ‘3 words, 8 letters, 1 cliche’ and she words it greatly, showing not telling, while configuring it into something so melodic. However the prize for best production has to go to ‘Real Love.’ Right away I sense warm tones to it, and I adore how it elevates to match the rise in Sharl’s incredible high notes and remarkable lyrics. She said of the melody, “I have a soft spot for this song because of the lyrics: so much imagery and then at the core it’s a very honest expression. Initially I wasn’t sure where the production style would take us but Daniel totally nailed it and to me the music evokes walking around a luxurious city and chilling.”
And lastly we have Sharl’s tribute to Melbourne ‘City Lights’. A stunning piano instrumental elicits emotion from the moment we hear the intro until Sharl sings the last word ‘lights’ ever so seraphically. She revealed that ‘City Lights’ marks a particular time period in her life, and I think she nailed the storytelling in the lyrics. Sharl also mentioned that you can hear the sound of a tram just before the second verse from recordings of ambient noise on her phone, which is really authentic and undoubtedly gives it the true urban effect.
You can listen to the album here: