CHARLIE PUTH - CHARLIE
On October 7, 2022, four years after pop singer, songwriter, and producer Charlie Puth released his second album, Voicenotes — which took to the world by storm — he released his third album, CHARLIE. This album may be full of familiar tunes not because they have been officially released before, but because he’s previewed many of them on his viral TikTok account.
The album begins with ‘That’s Hilarious’, in which alongside a somber synth, we hear Charlie Puth sing with slowly increasing volume, “You took away a year of my f**king life,” in the pre-chorus. An electric guitar sound comes in the chorus to pair with his resentments.
His voice is layered more and more as the song progresses, building emotion along the way. This is a song that is not just an opener, but a highlight of the whole album.
In ‘Charlie Be Quiet!’, Puth sings in a whispery voice for the verses but then an impactful instrumental arrives in the choruses. This song encapsulates the attempt to keep feelings inside but not being able to successfully contain them. In a swingy, groovy shift in pace, ‘Light Switch’, is a metaphor for how easily he gets turned on by a girl he’s enamored by. The fast, upbeat tempo can symbolize Puth’s heart racing and the excitement from spending time with his love interest.
Next, in the 80’s-inspired ‘There’s A First Time For Everything’, there’s a glimpse of innocence and carefreeness but also caution, singing, “All I need is one little memory to make all these memories come back up.” ‘Smells Like Me’ is about Puth hoping that his love interest’s clothing still holds his scents despite their separation. He wishes that she is reminded of him and maybe rethinks her new situation even if that’s an unrealistic outcome.
‘Left and Right’ is the feature with singer Jung Kook from the internationally renowned K-pop group BTS. The distinguishing element of this song is the chorus that contains panning vocals that literally move from left to right, representing memories taking up every part of Puth and Jung Kook’s minds, becoming unavoidable and all-encompassing. In ‘Loser’, Puth describes himself as someone who not just has lost but has specifically lost someone. He acknowledges that he had to go through that process, but Puth hums, “Oh my, my, my, my,” with disbelief in the situation throughout the rhythmic bridge and outro.
‘When You’re Sad I’m Sad’ is a piano-based ballad about Puth being too empathetic when he sees that his crush is not feeling well. He wonders why she keeps reaching out to him when she should know that all he really does is worry about her instead of effectively helping her. He’s at least able to bring her home if needed. ‘Marks On My Neck’ is about how all that remains after a love interest breaks Puth’s heart are hickeys and not a deeper connection despite making himself vulnerable. He tries to cover the hickeys with makeup, but nevertheless he’s constantly reminded of her from her tangible marks.
‘Tears On My Piano’ has many background vocals that echo Puth’s contemplation about his purpose of his songwriting, especially recently. He wants to write a song that makes his love interest come back to him, but instead everything that is released is sad according to him. Regardless, the songs are about her even if they’re not what he wants her to listen to.
Lastly, ‘I Don’t Think That I Like Her’ is about girls who don’t understand or respect Puth’s feelings. He sings, “For me the stars are aligned, but for her it’s bad timing.” The last chorus switches up keys and adds a background vocoder when Puth realizes he needs to move on. ‘No More Drama’ is about how great Puth feels without all the drama in his life, particularly with relationships. He’s not used to this feeling, so it’s quite refreshing for him. He comes to closure by singing, “I’m so glad I realized I’m better off without you.”
The songs in CHARLIE blend well, but sometimes a little too well. It’s hard to distinguish between the songs themselves, but one thing’s for sure: this is quintessential Charlie Puth and an album that can cater to a wide audience with style and ease. Luckily, Charlie Puth does find some room for creativity and fun in this body of work, even if it’s nothing as showstopping as ‘Attention’ from Voicenotes.
Sophia Campana
★★★☆☆