Twenty-one year old Pasadena-based artist Charlie Hickey will release his debut album later this month via Saddest Factory Records, the label owned by Hickey’s long-time friend and collaborator Phoebe Bridgers. The Marshall Vore-produced record, entitled Nervous At Night, has already earned praise from the likes of NPR Music and Rolling Stone for early singles “Dandelions” and “Nervous At Night,” and today Hickey shares another track off of the forthcoming album. “Gold Line” arrives disguised as a windows-down singalong, but hidden underneath is a deeper layer, as Hickey sings about feelings bigger than he can control or resist. Fitting for Mental Health Awareness Month, “Gold Line” offers insight to how Hickey uses songwriting and performing to cope with his anxiety and OCD, as he explains, “This is a song about being overtaken by a feeling that you know is bigger than you. It’s scary, but also really exciting and joyous.” Listen to the song and watch the video now HERE.
Nervous At Night is a gorgeous, 11-track record that finds Hickey detailing life’s graceless passage between teenage years and adulthood, and all of the noise that permeates. Hickey has always navigated the intricacies of life through a musical lens, both as a child of two musicians and as an artist who has surrounded himself with talented peers. “It feels almost too good to be true,” Hickey says of the small crew of friends that assisted him on the record—label boss and childhood friend Phoebe Bridgers, producer Marshall Vore, and fellow musicians Harrison Whitford, Christian Lee Hutson and Mason Stoops who are featured on the album. With all of the talent surrounding him, it’s Hickey’s remarkable voice, masterful songwriting and relatable storytelling that shine through on Nervous At Night.
Early praise for Charlie Hickey:
(Album artwork | download)
Tracklist
- Dandelions
- Gold Line
- Mid Air
- Thirteen
- Missing Years
- Every Time I Think
- Nervous At Night
- Springbreaker
- Choir Song (I Feel Dumb)
- Month of September
- Planet With Water
“[‘Ten Feet Tall’ is] a song that I love..great songwriter. I look forward to much, much more from him.” – NPR Music, All Songs Considered
“Hickey pedals a nice line in sentimental and woozy indie-pop.” – The FADER
“[Ten Feet Tall] sings about strawberry moons and shoebox houses on this pensive indie rock anthem.” – NYLON
“This reimagined version of ‘Seeing Things,’ a hauntingly vulnerable ballad off Hickey’s debut EP Count the Stairs, showcases just as much emotional depth, dance beat and all. Stirring vocal harmonies from Muna’s Katie Gavin are a lovely bonus.” – MTV
“[‘Nervous At Night’ is] a comforting lament about free-floating anxiety and melodramatic emotions that feel like they’ll burn a hole in your chest.” – FLOOD
“[On No Good At Lying] The track’s lyrics flit through escapist dreamed-up dimensions, where far-off landscapes and long-gone relatives seem palpable. – The Line of Best Fit
“Nervous at Night is a documentation of personal growth that’s wise beyond Hickey’s years”” – Consequence
” [On No Good At Lying] This softly sung acoustic track showcases Hickey’s wildly imaginative storytelling in his songwriting that suggests a wisdom beyond his years.” – Under The Radar
