ALBUM REVIEW: Charlee Remitz Releases Fourth and Final Pop Album ‘HEAVEN’S A SCARY PLACE’
ALBUM REVIEW: Charlee Remitz Releases Fourth and Final Pop Album ‘HEAVEN’S A SCARY PLACE’
Her highly anticipated album is a pandemic-inspired release just in time for the New Year
Words By: Jason Russo
Rising indie pop songstress Charlee Remitz has released her fourth and final pop album, Heaven’s A Scary Place. The project features ten tracks that all deal with the difficulties of living through the pandemic along with Charlee’s personal reflections on her struggles with letting go of people in her life.
From friends, lovers, to even family members, Heaven’s A Scary Place explores the difficult process of moving on from challenging situations, be it bad breakups, toxic relationships, bad friendships, and even accepting loved ones’ illnesses. The title track deals with most of these themes as Charlee questions what it means to be a good person while she contests many of the tenets of organized religion and the concept of heaven and the afterlife. She emphasizes the corruption of our society and many religions and how there are many terrible people who have been absolved by religion who have done unforgivable things. She delivers the powerful line, “I bet if Jesus walked into heaven, he’d think he’s lost,” with a cool sort of frustration that will surely have you questioning the concept of modern morality.
Many of the tracks deal with heartbreak and the difficulties of dating. Charlee pays special attention to the little details like how she is, “sick of first dates and learning names” in “Romance Me,” and how much happier she is now that she is out of a bad relationship in “I Don’t Really Miss Somebody.” “Romance Me” is a particularly relatable track as Charlee vents her frustrations with how much effort she puts into dating and how little she gets in return. Especially with the rise of online dating, the relative availability of finding a match has made the amount of effort put into dating drop in many cases, and the desire to find passion and excitement amidst endless swiping, texting, and social distancing is all too relatable during the pandemic.
One of the most heartfelt tracks on the album is “Weigh Anchor” which tackles some of the beliefs around aging and memory loss of a loved one. “You think it’s about forgetting names,” Charlee tells the listener, “But it’s forgetting who you are.” The production on the track is soft and gentle with intimate samples of cherished moments with loved ones weaved in throughout that give the track a very real and honest sound. The song is truly heart-wrenching and relatable for anyone who has dealt with losing a loved one to memory loss and illness.
The album as a whole is full of nostalgia for life before the pandemic, with tracks like “Fairy King” reminiscent of hometown high school memories of Dairy Queens and Corvettes tinged with sadness over the loss of young love and those moments to time. “Movie Theater” chronicles the moments right at the beginning of quarantine when everything felt like, “we’re at the movie theater watching doomsday drawing nearer,” and Charlee and her friends are, “clutching to each other watching everything catch fire.” The feeling of being in a public space like a movie theater or a concert is so foreign to all of us now, and yet Charlee uses that feeling of distance to better understand the difficulties of modern times.
Much of the album battles with difficult emotions to the point where escape may seem like the only solution. However, the final track off of the album, “The New 1980s” finds Charlee reminding listeners of the importance of staying connected and not running from your feelings. She urges listeners to remember that feeling is the best part of being alive, even if it seems overwhelming or too difficult. The alternative of trying to escape the pain can destroy your humanity. This powerful and reassuring message reminds us that even in the darkest of times, our humanity unites us all and keeps us going.
Charlee Remitz is an established and rising pop sensation. Her lyrics are a blend of skilled singer/songwriter styles that rival those of industry giants like Taylor Swift mixed with pure pop and dream-pop production that fans of Skylar Grey, Molly Moore, and The Japanese House will instantly love. Heaven’s A Scary Place is her fourth and final pop album. Her three previous albums have been lauded by critics everywhere, and her fourth album is certainly her best work yet. Stay tuned for more updates from Charlee Remitz!
