Releasing on November 28th, 2017, PST, the debut full-length project by artist/producer Charles, is a psychedelic and riveting journey through the complex and creative mind of the rising artist. The album shows no lack of star power, with a bold use of features from Nessly, Slim Jesus, Smrtdeath, Shinigami, and Hame. Perhaps one of the most underrated projects of 2017, Charles provides a tracklist that is well worth the 9-song listen.
A short three months prior to the release of PST, Charles released another self-produced album, titled Tapeworm. Similar to PST, Tapeworm is a great introduction to Charles’s diversity and broad use of vocal styles wrapped in his signature, straight-forward, mellow voice. He has no difficulty bouncing between a melodic singing verse and spitting cold-cut heat over a nasty beat. Lyrically, he’s a force that most underground artists would fail to match.
I asked Charles a few questions, and he provided some powerful insight on PST.
The album kicks off with the very vibrant “Less Than Zero“, which Charles gives the title’s inspiration to the 1985 novel by Bret Easton Ellis.
“I love how Bret Easton Ellis writes, the first person perspective and bluntness is something I try to capture with my own raps. It’s so direct. He captures the essence of this place well. The emptiness, drifting from place to place. This beat reminded me of something from TPAB, I knew it had to be track 1. The title has a literal meaning too, you can really feel like a nobody out here sometimes. Everybody out here is a nobody that wants to be a somebody. The second half’s ‘I’m worried that I already met her’ stems from a text conversation with my homie John about worrying you’ve already met ‘the one’ and missed her or things didn’t go well or you never even gave it a shot. ‘There’s an 80% chance that if you’re 16 & older, you’ve already met the person you’ll marry.’ ”
This track also introduces a trend within the album – beat changes, or something I like to think of as miniature scene switches within the tracks. This feature is one of the album’s most bold characters and simply elevates the theatrical aspect of his tracks.
“Less Than Zero” rides smoothly into track 2, “Green Days (PST)“. One of the more psychedelic tracks on the album, the instrumental grooves effortlessly, with occasional appearances from oddball beat switches carrying a melodic hook. The whole track just feels like hot butter, transcending the listener into a beautifully unfamiliar setting. This track is a great example of Charles’ stand-alone sounds and creativity. There’s some things on here that really feel as genuine as you can imagine. It’s so, so, very cool.
The third track, “Long Weekend“, featuring the one and only internet sensation Nessly, has a pop-esque flavor with additional traits that feel like nothing other than a Charles production. He puts a very interesting spin on a more reserved instrumental, along with a catchy vocal track from him and Nessly. The ambient track is met occasionally with a hard-hitting heavy metal guitar riff, giving the track it’s interesting sequence.
“I added in the metal guitar really late in the process, think it brings this song to the next level creatively. Wanted to make something I’d never heard before. This was gonna be track 1 at some point. When I made the second half of this beat I thought ‘Drake would kill this’, and I don’t know Drake so I decided to get on it instead.”
Track 4, “GTA“, the arguable highlight of the album, showcases one of, if not the best use of the common beat changes on the album. The track begins with a reserved and relaxed tone, with Charles’ impossible-to-miss flow riding smoothly through the track. One of the highlights of the album itself has to be the guitar solo in between the beat change, done by AMO. The instrumental enters an ambient transition, and out of nowhere, a simply iconic voice is heard. This voice is the voice of none other than Slim Jesus. Slim is no stranger to controversy, and is without a doubt a love or hate rapper. Whether you’re a fan or not, this outlandish appearance paired with the dramatic change within the track will resonate with any enthusiastic hip hop fan. The switch is notably aggressive without no lack of lyrical support. Following Slim’s short but significant verse, Charles closes the track out with more face slapping bars. Being one of the cleanest cuts of the album, GTA is certainly a must-listen.
Following GTA, Charles drops the line, “She don’t wanna be an actress, she just wanna be a star.” which smoothly migrates into track 5, “Baker 3“. “Baker 3” may be the most prominent showcase of Charles’ songwriting ability, featuring a catchy melody accompanied by a smooth flow and use of an outstanding feature from Smrtdeath.
“This song is my tribute to Baker 3 (iconic skate vid I have seen too many times) & Bowling for Soup – “1985”. That song really has one of the greatest hooks of all time. ”
Track 6, “Amanda Knox“, another chilled out ballad-esque track featuring another uprising underground artist, Shinigami, happens to contain some of Charles’ most witty lines and infectious flows. The sample is pretty and subtle, and Shinigami does a great job adding a cloudier element to the track while providing his signature ‘new emo’ lyrical style.
Amanda Knox is met abruptly by the fruity and full-of-bounce track 7, “Believer“. The track features ‘Hame, who provides a great contrast full of wholesome vocals and harmonies. The song rides wonderfully into Track 8.
Track 8, “Girl Next Door“, is a colorful ballad with an interlude vibe. The ambient beginning is met by another beat change, shifting into a darker, more aggressive take, packed with more unique flows and witty punchlines.
The 9th and final track, “N.E.R.D. (Still Searching)“, rides out the album smoothly, carrying a handful of prophet-like lyrical content from Charles and an insane guitar solo once again supplied by Amo. The album concludes, and PST comes to it’s end.
“‘If we could see more than one moment at a time, we’d know that no one ever really dies. But if no one ever really dies, what’s the meaning of a sacrifice? Never pay never know the price Never lose, never know the prize, Know everything, no surprises.’ Those are my favorite bars I’ve ever spit.”
All in all, this album is packed full of content that a very broad audience can enjoy, but the majority of it’s substance will be thoroughly appreciated by those who pay attention to detail. Not only does PST strongly showcase the impeccable lyrical ability of Charles, but is crowded with melodies, hooks and flows that absolutely shine. Charles seems to be in a world of his own, especially in this project. The features are all standout, every use of a verse is used well and strongly sits in each track. The production is on par with any independent work I’ve heard, thanks mostly to the creativity itself. The mix is a unique balance of lo-figlitz and smooth, intriguing sounds.
Charles is without a doubt one of the most interesting artists in the underground right now, and is surely set to make some very big waves, very soon. PST is available for stream on Soundcloud, and download on Bandcamp and Apple Music.
