NYC producer indie music veteran Charlie Nieland presents ‘Redshift’, a welcome dream-pop track that delves into the profound experience of creating your own chosen family, viewed through the lens of cosmic expansion and astrophysical wonder. This is the second taste of his forthcoming ‘The Ocean Understands’ EP (out June 20).
Nieland’s musical backstory is extensive, having played dream pop with Her Vanished Grace for over 20 years before establishing himself as a solo artist with a mix of nuanced songwriting and sonic exploration, initially releasing ‘Ice Age’ (2014) and ‘Hopeful Monsters’ (2016). He is currently half of the literature-inspired songwriting and performing duo Lusterlit with Susan Hwang and produces and participates in the podcast ‘An Embarrassment of Prog’.
Along the way, Charlie wrote and produced material with such notable artists as Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Dead Leaf Echo, Blondie and Scissor Sisters. He scored the feature film ‘The Safety of Objects’ (starring Glenn Close), the pilot episode of ‘The L Word’ on Showtime and the VH-1documentary ‘NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell’. Charlie was awarded a Gold record (UK) for his production work on Blondie’s ‘Greatest Hits Sight & Sound’ and achieved a Top 10 Billboard Dance Chart Position with Debbie Harry’s single ‘Two Times Blue’, which he co-wrote and produced.
“Redshift is a slice of dream pop about growing up – as viewed from space. The book STRAY, by Tanya Marquardt, got me thinking about how we choose new families when we’re alienated from our birth ones. This coincided with another thing I was reading about Steven Hawking and astrophysics. The song became a little field guide on how to put your own story into a cosmic context,” says Charlie Nieland.
“There’s an eerie freedom to embracing life when the universe is pulling apart. While in lockdown, I’d made up a modal exercise for the guitar and it was a perfect shimmering fit for this, with Billy Loose’s symphonic drums bringing it all down to earth. More gorgeous art and video clips by Hypnodoll™.
It’s been four years since Nieland released his acclaimed ‘Divisions’ album with its sweeping melodies and restless rhythms. Tastefully blending post punk, dream pop and prog rock, he has been writing, playing and producing music for decades, focused on the atmospheric and the imaginative.
Earlier, Charlie Nieland released the stunning reverb-laced lead track, ‘Drown’, the video for which was directed by multi-faceted artist Hypnodoll. Inspired by a dystopian vision, this mythical, psychedelic siren song celebrates destruction, exploring a dark, authoritarian past through the jumbled stories of the future. Sifting through present wreckage, ‘Drown’ searches for grace amidst violent, oceanic forces.
Charlie Nieland says, “With its mind-melting imagery, the video for ‘Drown’, created by NYC multimedia artist Hypnodoll, is beautiful and deranged. She conjures storytelling just out or rational reach, playing tag with the ancient and futuristic in a way that perfectly compliments the song. Collaborating with her is such a thrill”.
As of May 27, ‘RedShift’ is available from fine digital music platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. ‘The Ocean Understands’ EP, now available for pre-order directly from the artist, will be released on June 20.
EP TRACK LIST
1. Drown
2. Redshift
3. Shame
4. Elegy
CREDITS
Music & Lyrics written by Charlie Nieland
Recorded at Saturation Point Studios (Brooklyn, NY)
from January 2023 to April 2025
‘Elegy’ recorded live at KGB Bar, NYC, October 3rd, 2021
Charlie Nieland – vocals, guitars, basses, piano, keyboards, percussion, G-Force M-TRON Pro IV
Billy Loose – drums
Dan McAssey – guitar on ‘Shame’
Produced, recorded, mixed & mastered by Charlie Nieland
Cover Art by Hypnodoll
© 2025 Athame Music
‘Drown’ video directed By Hypnodoll™
Photography by Alice Teeple
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
INTRODUCTION & NEW RELEASE
1. Charlie, welcome back! It’s been four years since Divisions — how does it feel to be
releasing “Drown” and stepping back into the solo spotlight again?
It’s exciting and a little scary. I started writing these songs a while back; the first of them
shortly after Divisions was released in 2021. The process of starting up after I’ve finished
an album usually involves following roads not taken and then wondering if it’s any good
compared to the last batch. As I started recording and arranging the songs, life interrupted
with family stuff and it all got put on the back burner for a year. My curiosity kicked in
again when I got down to work in 2024 and I embraced the messiness of it all. That
makes the release both a relief and a slightly frightening experiment, as I get to
experience it all through other people’s ears.
2. You describe “Drown” as “beautiful and deranged” — what does that duality mean to
you, and how does it set the tone for The Ocean Understands EP?
That’s a fun turn of phrase, right? Duality is the way we are afforded a peek at
transcendence. What I mean is, this is one big wave of energy looking back at itself, and
we get to experience it through the eyes and ears of these bodies that are born and die.
The separation, while definitely a mirage, gives us a catalog of wonders to experience. So
I find that contrast is the way to get that wonder across in music. Contrasts in texture and
emotion are what I try to unearth, so the tension between the familiar and the surprising
opens up the possibility of glimpsing the infinite.
3. The music video, directed by HYPNODOLL, is as visceral and expansive as the song
itself. What was the collaborative process like between you two?
We’ve known each other a long time and we speak the same language. We used to share
an apartment and we listened to a lot of music and watched a lot of movies, not to
mention endless philosophical blathering. I sent her the new songs recently and the night
she listened, she live-texted me her breathless reactions. It was so fun. We saw the Brian
Eno movie together and had some long phone calls getting to the outer reaches of art and
myth. Then she got to work, once we’d settled on Drown as the first single. As with our
other collaborations, I didn’t want to see anything until she was finished. It maximizes
the blown-away-ness. As usual, I had no notes. Her sense of imagery and timing is
perfect for my music. I can’t wait for the next one.
4. There’s a stunning use of reverb and atmosphere in “Drown”. Can you walk us through
the production choices that brought this sound to life?
This one was a landscape. I literally created the song out of the sounds. I started with a
feeling of chaos and dread and I grabbed the guitar, played the abrasive fuzz part over a
drum groove. The aurora borealis E-bow guitar evolved as I was singing and I love the
way those melodies intertwine. The bass part came last as usual. It’s actually more about
delays than reverb – lots of different longer and shorter delays. This whole thing gathered
momentum after I recorded Billy Loose’s drums. His fills created an intense
conversation, especially when the arctic guitar break arrives. So, several more guitars and
synths later, the thing just had a life of its own. It was great fun redoing the vocal after
everything was in place.
THEMES & INSPIRATION
5. You’ve cited Monique Vescia’s Hole In The Sky as a key inspiration. What about that
book resonated with you enough to build an EP around its world?
The book was the inspiration specifically for this track but not necessarily the entire EP
(different books for each song). The mood evoked by an unnamed authoritarian president
winning the 2020 election in her story haunted me and I wanted to paint a picture of
where that went in my imagination, without being too explicit. I like to leave room in any
sound world for the listener to see and hear their own story
6. The idea of “a mythical tale from the past, told in the future” is fascinating. How do you
use music to play with time, memory, and narrative in this EP?
Ah, interesting question! Music plays with our evolutionary imperatives by manipulating
our aural triggers. Our ears are wired both to our upper brain functions and our brain
stem, so we react in a primal way to any change in pitch, volume, pacing or location. And
music takes place in the field of time, so we have infinite ways to play with perceptions. I
try to build in contrasts on a micro and macro level, between repetition and interruption,
tone and texture between songs, so expectations are courted then dashed. I think it creates
a story between the listener and the music. It does for me with my favorites.
7. You mention the project being a “celebration of destruction” — what does that phrase
mean in the context of both the political commentary and the personal story this EP tells?
I want a stable life as much as anyone. But the unexpected is always around the corner
and what we think is going to happen is always destroyed in some way. I’m trying to
adjust my view to embrace change as a constant. Everything is in flux and that tension is
always there. It drives the boat. Accepting ambiguity is the spot I aim for. It’s where the
wisdom is.
CREATIVE PROCESS & PRODUCTION WORK
8. You’ve worked with legendary names like Debbie Harry, Blondie, and Rufus
Wainwright. How does producing for others compare to creating your own music?
First of all, those are all wonderful people and it’s been a joy to create with them. Debbie,
in particular, is so smart and charming and quick. We would make up songs on the spot.
It’s great for confidence and adding things to your toolbox. You learn so much by diving
into a situation with talented people and raising your game to meet them. What I’ve really
learned is to listen. Try every idea in the room, even if it sounds crazy or counter-
intuitive. If it doesn’t work, it will lead to the actual great idea. If it does, boom, you just
shared a moment of discovery and that bonds you together. You trust each other to take
risks.
9. As someone who’s deeply connected to the NYC indie scene, how has the city influenced
your sound and storytelling over the years
The city pushes all different kinds of people together. Richest to poorest. All riding the
same subway through neighborhoods all on top of each other. We artists have always
been hanging on by our fingernails. So our paths crisscross and we often find allies that
open doors for us as we do for them. Like the scenes at Don Hills and Meow Mix in 90s
and 00s, now I’m wrapped up in Bushwick Book Club and Losers Lounge. The former an
incredible vehicle for songwriting, the latter an opportunity to experience the rush of
performance. Both are really fun and challenging and constantly introducing me to new
artists to collaborate with and record.
10. What tools, gear, or techniques did you find yourself gravitating toward while
crafting The Ocean Understands?
It’s a guitar album, urgent, with lots of different textures and tempers. But expanded with
E-bow, synths, mellotron and piano. I’ve been singing more and I worked harder on the
vocals on this record. Creating central characters and contrasting backups for each
arrangement. I would let the songs rest and then listen again and make lists of small and
big ideas and try them. I tried to let that process populate each track with little details.
And lots of modulated delay. I was really drawn to the way that blur creates an expansive
feeling.
LOOKING BACK & MOVING FORWARD
11. How does this EP differ creatively or emotionally from Divisions? Were you in a
different headspace?
Darker – the pandemic aftermath clings to everything, even as we pretend it never
happened. New amazing relationships and profound loss unfolded for me and these songs
became reportage. So the promise of all the beauty contrasts with deep examinations of
childhood and history. I let all notions of genre go and the songs are like little worlds,
teeming with different lives. There’s more coming beyond the EP.
12. You’ve been part of several acclaimed bands, like Lusterlit and Her Vanished Grace.
How do those collaborative experiences shape the way you now work as a solo artist?
Each of those bands was an invaluable experience where I molded myself around my
mates. I learned so much about listening and developing ideas. Creating structure and
cultivating spontaneity. I’m solo now, so I’m learning how to embrace my own voice to
tell a story. I’m conjuring multiple facets within me, facets that used to come from the
various personalities in a band. So I’m learning a lot about how to trust myself. Of
course, Billy Loose, who drummed in HVG, is still my friend and collaborator as is
guitarist Dan McAssey, whom I’ve played with for just as long in our Acid Bath improv
project. And Joe McGinty, who runs the Losers Lounge, contributed an incredible
keyboard arrangement to a track that will be coming out later called Today.
13. As we look toward the EP’s full release on June 20, what do you hope listeners walk
away with after hearing Drown and eventually The Ocean Understands?
I want people to have the experience that I have with my favorite artists. Where you
discover new things the more you listen.
CLOSING
14. Can fans expect live shows, visual art collaborations, or other extensions of this new
sonic universe?
I love Bowie and Gabriel, so there will be a process of exploring how to present things
with a twist of rock theater. Hypnodoll will be creating video projections, which I’m very
excited about.
15. Finally — if the ocean truly understands, what do you think it’s trying to tell us through
your music?
Well, I think we’re all water. We imagine we’re separate drops but we eventually all fall
back together. The ocean doesn’t have to try. We will all know soon enough.
Step right into the mysterious and unforgettable world of Paranormal Cirq! In this exclusive interview…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0sLYpiz_kg