Selected by Charlie Simpson

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…