Girl at the Rock Shows

I feel terrible. I was supposed to review “Charles I” from babename yesterday but I got sick as in sicker than sick as in I left work at 3 PM, promptly fell asleep, and really didn’t get up again until this morning just in time to go back to work. I felt terrible, but truthfully, I think it was fate because this is the song that I needed to hear today.

“Charles I” had a jangle behind it that makes this song feel oh so very full of life, but, at the same time, there’s something so beautifully calming and peaceful about the track. It’s dreamy and lush with a swirling motion behind the vocals that is so easy to fall into. This song, as you will read from a quote directly from Jamie Averley of babename, is about seeing someone who is strong and commanding with their presence and power. I like how that message is mirrored in this song with that aforementioned strength I felt but also how the easy-breezy nature of this song reminds you that being yourself and standing strong is nothing something that should be hard. Maybe I’m reading into this a bit more than I should but I feel like “Charles I” is the perfect reminder to be yourself and stay true to yourself in a world that is constantly trying to put you into a box. Don’t want to get that deep with things today? Have no fear, this song is also one of those tracks that is just truly lovely to listen to so, sit back, relax, and enjoy “Charles I” from babename.

As promised, here’s a quote directly from Jamie Averley about the single:

Charles I is a song about witnessing someone stand fully embodied in their presence and power. If the whole Highlights album is about my own journey of personal becoming, of stepping into the power of my own identity, Charles I is a nod to those who have come before and given me inspiration along the way. The narrative plays with the concept of power and where it comes from — juxtaposing images of a king who overreached his authority and paid the ultimate price for it with stories of advocates and creatives claiming their own space and being witnessed in their greatness. I think also of the way that queer culture has reclaimed the language of royalty, “queens” and “kings,” as a relocation of power — rejecting “power over” and claiming instead “power within.” Sonically, I love the interplay between the guitar riffs and DC jazz saxophonist Jack Irby’s Charlie Parker-inspired runs, and think the dreamy, nostalgic indie rock feel of this track sets the stage for the rest of the album.

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