Eclectic singer-songwriter CHARLOTTE WESSELS (ex-DELAIN) has unveiled her brand-new single entitled “The Crying Room” today, alongside a gripping music video featuring footage from the song’s first ever live performance. “The Crying Room” is the next harbinger of Wessels’ first traditional full-length, full-band solo album, The Obsession, set to be released on September 20, 2024 via Napalm Records. The track unveils another touching facet of this sonic masterpiece, where themes like fear, obsessive thoughts and escapism run rampant on the one hand, whereas there are also songs that offer a more upbeat approach to the subject. “The Crying Room” deals with that fear while a weeping guitar solo draws the listener into darker soundscapes.
On The Obsession, CHARLOTTE WESSELS adds bucketloads of bombast to her genre-bending songwriting, as spellbinding melancholia and dark catchy elements meet progressive and heavier tunes. The storytelling within the songs give the multifaceted album even more depth, making The Obsession an exciting listening experience and Wessels’ most mature solo offering so far.
CHARLOTTE WESSELS on “The Crying Room”: “When we were gearing up for the very first performance under my own name after Covid, my tour manager asked if I wanted my own dressing room. Knowing full well that I’d be an anxious mess, I told her I didn’t need a private room—just somewhere I could have a well-earned meltdown without ruining everyone’s vibe. And that, my friends, is how ‘The Crying Room’ was born. It’s a song about the fear of failure, about needing to catch your breath before diving headfirst into something new. Everyone loves to tell stories about courage and heroism, but let’s be real: I want to hear more stories about people who are absolutely terrified… and do the thing anyway – it’s a central theme on the album, and ‘The Crying Room’ is an invitation to do just that.”
While still writing and producing the first incarnations of her songs in her Six Feet Under basement home studio and sharing them with patrons, now CHARLOTTE WESSELS is taking the songs from her new album The Obsession to the next level with a band of her fellow ex-DELAIN cohorts Timo Somers (guitars, additional arrangements), Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije (bass) and Joey Marin de Boer (drums) as well as Sophia Vernikov (piano/hammond), contributing to the new heavier sound. The album also features arrangements by Vikram Shankar (Silent Skies, Pain of Salvation), cello by Elianne Anemaat, was mixed by Guido Aalbers (Muse, Coldplay, The Gathering) and mastered by Andy VanDette (Porcupine Tree, VOLA, Dream Theater).
CHARLOTTE WESSELS about the new album “On the one hand, this album tells a very personal story – through its unintended theme of fear, obsessive thoughts and the escapes from them – and at the same time it represents the joy of finding the song’s true forms with everyone involved in the making of this record. That’s why I chose The Obsession as a title. It refers to my personal challenges with OCD that inspired many of the songs – but I’ve also started referring to the band as The Obsession – because there were moments in the studio with them that truly reminded me of why I’m obsessed with making music in the first place.”
With thousands of monthly listeners on Spotify and a loyal fan base on Patreon, Charlotte Wessels has already made a mark with her earlier solo endeavors, Tales From Six Feet Under (2021) and Tales From Six Feet Under Vol II (2022). Now, she is taking her career to the next level with The Obsession. These compilations showcased her ability to blend various musical styles and deeply personal lyrics, earning her widespread acclaim. The Obsession is expected to build on this foundation, offering fans an even more immersive and powerful musical experience.
Songs like “The Exorcism”, “The Crying Room” and “Ode To The West Wind” (feat. Alissa White-Gluz/Arch Enemy) lead into darker spheres, whilst a track like “Dopamine” (feat. Simone Simons/Epica) shows a rather optimistic approach. It deals with SSRI-induced numbness, or “Praise” – which sings the gospel of needing external validation in order to feel anything. The reimagining of fan-favorite “Soft Revolution” won’t leave a dry eye in the room, while “Soulstice” and “Serpentine” present an unprecedented dark sensuality. Each song itself functions like an exorcism, an attempt to cast out a little of the fear it deals with.
CHARLOTTE WESSELS about the guests “I’m extremely grateful and proud to add Simone Simons and Alissa White-Gluz to the line-up of this album. They are creative powerhouses that I have so much love and respect for. Whenever we get to work together is an absolute treat and they really elevated the songs with their performances.”
The Obsession Tracklist:
Chasing Sunsets
Dopamine
The Exorcism
Soulstice
The Crying Room
Ode To The West Wind
Serpentine
Praise
All You Are
Vigor And Valor
Breathe;
Soft Revolution (2024)
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