NYC-based producer and indie music veteran Charlie Nieland has announced his forthcoming solo album, entitled Divisions.

Ahead of this, he is previewing the title track, an intense offering that conveys a sense of urgency. Pressing drum strikes create a restless atmosphere that’s reinforced by brightly winding guitar lines, and Nieland’s heartfelt vocals as he sings socio-politically steeped lyrics like, “Always fight for what we have protected.”

Renowned for tastefully blending post punk, dream pop and progressive rock with sweeping melodies and dynamic rhythms that are both visceral and atmospheric, Charlie Nieland has been writing, playing and producing music for decades, with a focus on the cinematic and the imaginative.

Nieland played power dream pop with the band Her Vanished Grace for over 20 years before establishing himself as a solo artist with a mix of nuanced songwriting and sonic exploration. He is currently half of the literature-inspired songwriting and performing duo Lusterlit with Susan Hwang.

Over the years, Charlie wrote and produced material with such notable artists as Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Dead Leaf Echo, Blondie and Scissor Sisters. He scored the feature film The Safety of Objects (starring Glenn Close), the pilot episode of The L Word on Showtime and the VH-1documentary NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell. Charlie was awarded a Gold record (UK) for his production work on Blondie’s ‘Greatest Hits Sight & Sound’ and achieved a Top 10 Billboard Dance Chart Position with Debbie Harry’s single ‘Two Times Blue’, which he co-wrote and produced.


“After reading The Hidden Life Of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, Divisions presented itself to me. It felt deeply tribal, with the urgency of the sound of things dissolving at the moment of collapse. “Twisting on the brink of what’s to happen”. Producing the track was thrilling, creating the build from the spacious Intro to a crushing wave of sound. Brian Geltner’s primal drums drive the song home,” says Charlie Nieland.

“I participate in and co-produce an international performance series called Bushwick Book Club, where we write songs inspired by books every month. While my songs reflect aspects of each book, they connect with all kinds of things that pollinate each writing experience, creating layers of meaning. The themes of transcendence and the illusion of separateness emerged over the past year or so and, combined with a desire to revisit all the musical threads that have woven together in my life, snowballed into a thirst to see these songs come to life as widescreen musical productions.”

The ‘Divisions’ single can be downloaded now via Bandcamp. The full album by the same name will be released in early 2021 and can be pre-ordered directly from the artist.

SINGLE CREDITS
Charlie Nieland: Lap Steel, Electric Guitars, Electric Piano, Korg MS20 Synth, Piano, Mellotron, Synths, Percussion, Vocals
Brian Geltner: Drums

Another few videos have been released for tracks to be included on this album. Consider this a sneak preview as to its content.

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