Immediate and guttural are the words to describe Charlotte Sands’ new single neckdeep. Sands is an LA-based, alt-pop singer, who has opened for big names such as Yungblud, My Chemical Romance and 5SOS. With the shows lined up for the idobi Summer School tour, she has become one star to watch.
The single cover art for neckdeep sets up the vibe of the entire song: the dark magenta filter washed over her face and messy eye makeup. The first few seconds of the track feels like a euphoric chase with its light pitch and distorted beats.
PHOTO: DILLON JORDAN
The production and raw lyrics in this track go hand in hand, creating a breakneck effect in every line. The first moment that drew me in for me was when Sands’ sings “You make me wanna take this car and drive into a ditch.” Similarly, with buildups and lines like “Why would you tell me that you’re neck deep, when you’re really one foot out?” in the chorus: it’s desire, pain and intoxicating love all culminated into one. Here, her gritty punk sound is utilised perfectly: there’s a sense of visceral longing and an undertone of anger as the song goes on. The beat, too, embodies the highs of this relationship, speeding up and only stopping for a breath during her small realisations.
Towards the end of the song, it all spirals to a hitting point with Sands’ background vocals highlighting her true emotions towards this person. The outro circles back to a tone, now devoid of the harshness and becomes something more reflective and final: Sands’ vocals turns even softer with lines like “It’s okay, I’m okay, I don’t mind, I’m only dying on the inside.” Charlotte Sands’ new single is angsty, and fully authentic.