Today, we are thrilled to bring you an early premiere of the debut Charlie & Margot LP, joyride. A folk-rock EP that dips its toes into Americana / alternative rock waters, fans of Jason Isbell and Ruston Kelly are sure to be pleased. Of the LP, lead songwriter Matteo DeBenedetti tells us, “joyride is a record that’s hugely personal to me, and its intention was to allow a listener to have a little peek into my daily mental life. It was written over the course of a period of self-reflection and during a realization that sometimes, searching fruitlessly for the meaning of life can be an exhausting endeavor, and it’s best to let go and enjoy that we’re all on a ‘joyride’. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to enjoy the beauty, take the pain as it comes and just exist.”
Matteo was also kind enough to take us through the LP track-by-track, with our recurring feature that highlights some very specific questions allowing you, the listener, to get better acquainted with each song along the way. Listen to the LP exclusively here first, and read about it after the jump.
dream
About the Song: ‘dream’ was one of my favourite songs to write and is one of my favourites on the record. I actually just listened to it for the first time in a while the other day and immediately was stoked on it. Definitely tried to channel my inner Tom Petty for this one.
Favourite Lyric: ‘so take your time, and I’ll take mine, but I don’t know if we’ll be fine…’
Micro Review (5 words or less): Listen with your windows open.
On a scale of 1-10, how much of a joyride is this song?: 10. This is the standard for joyriding.
SkipTown
About: This is another one that sort of wrote itself and I was very happy with how it came out. When we added the 80’s sounding instrumentation and drum beat to the bridge (Samir Tawalare on drums) I felt like it really elevated this song to a new place.
Favourite Lyric: ‘feels like we’re leaving the ground, but what goes up must come back down…’
Micro Review: Reminds me of an arcade.
joyride Scale: Gonna give this another 10.
places
About: ‘Places’ is my first attempt at a style of writing that’s unfamiliar to me, which is writing the song around the chorus. I 100% stole this chorus from Meat Loaf and I’m ok with that.
Favourite Lyric: ‘now the feeling cuts like a knife, when it creeps in the back of your mind…’
Micro Review: A little more reverb please.
joyride Scale: Another 10. Feels like it belongs on the record.
Joyride
About: Joyride unintentionally became the centerpiece of the record after everything was done. I’ve been a part of releasing a lot of music in my life and I’ve always felt weird about finding a title that works for a body of music, but with this song and record, I really felt like the word joyride embodied what I was trying to say.
Favourite Lyric: ‘I asked a man what state I’m in, and as he laughed he shook my hand, and said “not the best I’ve seen, my friend…”‘
Micro Review: It’s a joyride now.
joyride Scale: Another 10!
Lonely
About: I used to write a lot more songs like this and I’ve since strayed from that quite a bit, so it felt really nice writing a “rock” song (lol). It felt very natural, especially with the crew that was playing when the record was tracked.
Favourite Lyric: ‘…and I know it’s be easy for you to pack and leave, when I come home bleeding and yelling about how it’s supposed to be…’
Micro Review: We’re all lonely sometimes.
joyride Scale: [skipped]
ghost
About: This is a song that I almost haven’t released several times and I’m glad it’s finally coming out. I’ll likely be releasing another version of it in the near future as well. It’s the most emotionally draining song I’ve ever written, and one that just came out without any real work involved, like something that just needed to happen.
Favourite Lyric: ‘the dogs are in the yard and you’ve got everything you need…’
Micro Review: If Bright Eyes was sad.
joyride Scale: Wow!! 10!! Can’t believe it.
Runaround
About: ‘Runaround’ was one that took a lot of massaging when it was being written but ended up being one of my favourites (I genuinely like them all) later in the process. It’s the second time on the record I mentioned the driveway which has become an oddly sacred place for me.
Favourite Lyric: ‘It’s like watching a train from a few miles away, instead of leaving the tracks you just quietly lay…’
Micro Review: Slow and sad songs rule.
joyride Scale: 10.1
Sleeping
About: This was a song that I wasn’t sure fit onto this record, and in hindsight I’m glad it was included because it really plays a specific role that I feel is generally missing in the rest of the tracks. It’s also so much fun to play live.
Favourite Lyric: ‘one day you’ll learn your love will never be enough…’
Micro Review: I love Lynyrd Skynyrd.
joyride Scale: 9.9
joyride is officially out tomorrow, 7th April. You can pick up a copy directly from the artist on his Bandcamp page.
