Black Country’s Chartreuse, formed of Rory and Mike Wagstaff, alongside Perry Lovering and Hattie Wilson, have released their sophomore album ‘Bless You & Be Well’. Produced by Sam Petts-Davies, the album was recorded in a rural retreat in Iceland, providing something of a healing process for the band.
The band have faced unprecedented difficulties in the time since their last album ‘Morning Ritual’, which was released back in 2023. Hattie Wilson has had to have surgery, forcing her to learn how to walk again, while Perry Lovering unfortunately lost his father to cancer.
This tragedy and turmoil embody this album with a sense of catharsis in every word and every note, and the maturity of the record shines throughout too, something almost surprising for a band of such infancy, but it truly makes for wonderful listening.
An initially gentle, yet rousing opener, title track ‘Bless You & Be Well’ builds its sound steadily, with sparkling guitars and beautiful harmonies, it sets the tone for the album perfectly.
Single ‘I’m Losing It’ is about Wilson’s struggle with the idea of surgery and recovery, and lays her struggle with the idea of the operation and recovery as bare as the landscape it was written in.
“I unravel the scale, of what’s coming
I’m losing it, I’m losing it”
Wilson’s vocals ring over the gently plucked guitar strings and the softly beating drums that lie underneath. It’s incredibly raw, and both the physical and mental pain of Wilson’s struggle resonates completely.
‘Fold’ is another highlight of the album, a track navigating the difficulties of supporting someone you love who’s going through a particularly tough moment, and how bad you can feel when you can’t make something instantly better. It makes for a loveable yet abstract love song.
With each track, it’s easy to understand just how the band felt that the writing process was so healing. The sheer emotion that finds itself so deeply entwined with each of these tracks resonates so well. But, while emotional, and in spite of the difficulty the band have dealt with in the past two years, the album isn’t set on grief and tragedy, with much of its glumness isolated to the lyrics; instrumentally it sparkles brilliantly amongst the darkness.
An ideal listen for the drizzle-filled days set to follow in the coming months, ‘Bless You and Be Well’ might not be groundbreaking at all, but its captivating songwriting and accompaniment make it essential listening for the foreseeable future.