Zak Abel

‘We are the sum of the competing aspects of our personalities—these songs are conversations between mine. Learning to accept, or even embrace the conflicting parts of ourselves is a matter of self-preservation.’ Splitting his time between melancholic piano and the insistent pulse of nylon string guitar, Charlie Cunningham delivers characterful, accessible songs that are both restrained and joyfully expressed. As locomotive drums pass through ambient swells like scenes from a train window, Cunningham's warm, evocative voice upturns commonplace lyrics and makes them glow with new meaning. Using these humble ingredients, he creates a sobering optimism that allows the listener to connect with their own vulnerability through his. In the careful isolation of his songs, you find an artist whose introspection and singular vision is the engine of his music. A style of music that seeks to transcend the personal and reach out to the universal. ‘I’m a private person outside of performing,’ he admits. But still, from his base in London, Cunningham continues to generously chronicle intimacy and introspection returning with his third and most ambitious album to date: Frame. Across the twelve tracks of Frame, we find an artist made more articulate and introspective by the global adversity under which it was written. Here, Cunningham transcends the ranks of singer-songwriter returning with an album of lush, delicate pop songs brimming with poised references to art rock, golden era jazz, and neo-classical composition - all the while maintaining the pared-back and clear-eyed musicality of which he is so well recognised. Throughout the album, Cunningham and long-time producer Sam Hudson Scott create the fragility, power and tension found in timeless song writing and reanimate it through a modern lens. Frame is an album of rarities, at once introspective and unstinting. Connecting the themes of heartbreak, spirituality, grief and climate anxiety with a shared language, the spare arrangements showcase exquisite musicality and a deep cut of influences while never deviating from the striking emotional core of the record. Cunningham weaves a delicate autobiographical thread through the songs without falling into the trappings of ego. This thread sews together universal and individual concerns—binding the personal to the political—without compromising the rich, soulful vulnerability that makes it a joy to return to time and again. Discography & History: In 2014, Cunningham recorded his debut EP, Outside Things. The songs garnered support from live audiences, Spotify, and mainstream radio alike. After his second EP: Breather (2015), Swedish label Dumont Dumont went on to release the EP, Heights (2016). The following year saw the label release his debut album, Lines. As its title suggests, ‘It was important to keep Lines simple.’ Cunningham’s modest outlook is clear, ‘I wanted the songs to be able to stand up without too many bells and whistles.’ Together with producer, Duncan Tootill, he wove discreet shifting synthesis through the recordings. As a result, Lines has a sonic depth beyond that possible from one man and his guitar. Still, these production flourishes are never at the expense of the album’s impressive intimacy. Instead, they provide—a counterpoint—stark worlds through which the hook-laden songs flow. It’s here that Cunningham’s more direct influences (the likes of John Martyn, Paul Simon, Nick Drake, and the leading women of jazz: Holliday, Fitzgerald, and Simone) fuse with his ambient loves: Brian Eno, Mogwai and the early work of Aphex Twin. Permanent Way (2019) is a confident doubling down of the achievements of Lines. Cinematic in its scope, the album is rich with brass, keys, and percussion as well as lush string arrangements by Daniel Thorne (Erased Tapes) performed by Immix Ensemble. Cunningham worked on three more tracks with producer Rodaidh McDonald (The XX and King Krule). Despite the album’s grander dimensions, there’s no trade-off of the intimate for the bombastic. Cunningham’s deft touch with the personal remains its foundation. While Cunningham’s time spent studying guitar in Spain is well documented, less is known of his life before. Of the eleven-year-old who, isolated by small village life, began to develop an ear for the captivating emotion in the music of Otis Reading and Stevie Wonder. Of the teen learning his way around a guitar; 'gawking' at the ‘lost worlds’ of VH1 and MTV as his musical education. Of his adolescent epilepsy or his expulsion from high school. Of his subsequent love of Fugazi, Botch and Converge: influences—though worlds apart—that are still felt in the openness of his work. Or that he gained a degree in music, despite dyslexia that made ‘reading music impossibly hard.’ What is clear in these snapshots, is the sense of an artist with music in the fibre of his being. Charlie has achieved over 500m streams across digital streaming platforms; his single Minimum and the album Permanent Way each achieving over 100m plays alone. Permanent Way marked the beginning of considerable international growth. He has headlined some of the UK and Europe’s most prestigious and loved venues, Earth (Hackney), The Union Chapel, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Berlin Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal and the Munich Muffathalle among them. His broad appeal has led to slots with artists as disparate as Bon Iver, Laura Mvula, Beirut, and Glass Animals, not to mention strings of shows with legends King Creosote, and Rodriguez (the latter at The Royal Albert Hall). His extensive touring has taken him to the US, Mexico, Scandinavia, Europe, and the UK. From End of the Road & All Points East (England) to The Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland); from Colours Ostrava (Czech Republic) to Haldern Pop (Germany), and Montreal Jazz Festival (Canada). Recently returning from a tour of the U.S, Cunningham’s unique music and hypnotic performances continue to connect with audiences the world over.