Charlie Simpson picks 10Trax of bangers for the summer, including tracks from Four Tet, Post Malone, Taylor Swift and more.

Charlie Simpson has been waiting quite a while for his big return. He made his name at the beginning of the last decade with a pair of highly successful albums that found Top 10 chart success in the UK, using all his knowledge accrued from his simultaneous role as a member of the band Busted.

 

Now, after an eight-year solo hiatus, Simpson has returned to the fray with a change of tone encouraged by the instrumentation and experimentation that he found himself falling into during lockdown. His third album explores more personal and vulnerable themes than ever, traversing the alt-rock and alt-pop genres in order to do so.

 

The title 0f the album, ‘Hope is a Drug’, reflects Simpson’s main thematic preoccupation. He says, ““Everyone has been touched by the feeling of hope. It’s fascinating how the human psyche has the endless capacity for optimism as a mechanism for overcoming adversity. The effects of hope are like a powerful drug, and it’s inspired me to return to the theme time and time again in my lyrics.” 

 

To celebrate the coming album drop, we asked Charlie to pick 10Trax that he considers bangers – his picks include Taylor Swift, Machine Gun Kelly, Ben Kweller and more…

"The Love You Want" by Sleep Toke

"I got sent this from a producer friend of mine telling me I would love it. He wasn’t wrong! The melodies are incredible."

"Opal (Four Tet Remix)" by Bicep

"I heard this the other day at my drummers stag do and I instantly fell in love with it. I must have listened to it about twenty times that weekend. So epic!"

"Sundress" by Ben Kweller

"I heard this song on a film sound track the other day and I had completely forgotten about it. It’s such a feel good banger. Definitely one for the sunshine!"

"maybe" by Machine Gun Kelly (feat. Bring Me The Horizon)

"I have been a big MGK fan for a while now and this is one of my faves of his new album."

"Rich & Sad" by Post Malone

"I love this record. I became pretty obsessed with Post Malone when this album came out. Absolutely love the production."

"exile" by Taylor Swift (feat. Bon Iver)

"Bon Iver has been one of my favourite artists since his first record and I though this collaboration was amazing, great song."

"Sideways" by ILLENIUM

"I use this track now to test speakers out. The drop is insane!"

"Headup" by Deftones

"This track is such a banger. The riff is just has so much groove, one of the best tacks of their album Around The Fur."

"Lodi" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA7iGxV6rt4

"I became a CCR fan quite late on but I think John Fogerty is one of the best songwriters of all time.

"Motion Sickness" by Phoebe Bridgers

"This tune is awesome, I love her production and her harmonies."