Most of us at some point in life reach a certain crossroad. At this point the following question emerges: am I only going for instant satisfaction of my darker needs from now on, or am I aiming for bright long-term family happiness? Will I aspire hedonism or a happy home? MDMA or matrimony? Hookers or homemaking? Porn or a pet puppy? This game of simultaneous attraction and repulsion inspired front man Alex for the lyrics of the sixth single of Charmless i named Sweet Love Gravitation.

Which exit did Alex follow in the end? Some things should be left to the imagination. After all, mystification is an indispensable element in the creation of a viable image in pop music. At least Alex opened up his soul to the existence of the gravitational forces of love. Maybe a hint for Alex’ direction of choice in life can be found in the seemingly meaningless vocal harmonies which shape the chorus of this single. In these vocals the voices of all four band members are featured, which once again determines the explicit signature band sound of all the tracks of the forthcoming second E.P. ‘Next Level’.

From the first line of the first verse on, Alex sounds like a master of ceremony for a hedonistic orgy. Possible associations here are Bowie and Ferry but certainly also Billy Idol. With regards to the arrangement, Sweet Love Gravitation is a blend of the more light-hearted tracks of Blur and the darker sound which characterizes many tracks of Depeche Mode. From their varied style book Charmless i applied a prominent synth-oriented sound, which is generated by an analogue Korg MS20. On top of this some layered guitar riffs are added as well as a pulsating bass line. Rhythmically the single offers a combination of the old skool sound of a Roland TRT-808 drum computer, combined with acoustic drums.

The production process of Sweet Love Gravitation is identical to that of all the tracks which ended up on the first E.P. ‘First Coming’. All string instruments were recorded at Alex’ kitchen table, the electronics and vocals were done in the attic of his home and the drums were once again recorded in Studio GieSound in the Dutch city of Zwolle. In the very same studio Guido Aalbers went loose and applied his renown ‘mixing madness’ on the track. Mastering was again done by Andy Vendette in New York.

Sweet Love Gravitation: the festival hit of 2019? It could happen just like that.

Sweet Love Gravitation is released this week on BERT music (a division of TCBYML), and available for purchase/streaming on all known digital platforms