Charly Bliss

• Young Enough [Barsuk, 2019] A-
• Supermoon [Barsuk EP, 2019] ***
• Forever [Lucky Number, 2024] A

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Young Enough [Barsuk, 2019]
It's been a while since a new power-pop machine has operated at this pitch of tuneful intensity. Eva Hendricks never lets her breathy childishness undercut her determined professionalism, and she doesn't live in a catchy bubble--the lead "Blown to Bits" catalogs satisfactions, distractions, and incidentals ripe for extinction in a world where an unnamed "he," as "Bleach" puts it, "could destroy everything that I like." Still, something about these songs feels pat, even unempathetic sometimes. Beneath their punk-informed momentum and textured-chrome surface are self-realization precepts about believing in who you are and accepting your own insecurities that mean more to well-fixed postcollegiates still figuring shit out than to those all too preoccupied with earning a living. These are legitimate power-pop themes. But spiritually they only take you so far. A-

Supermoon [Barsuk EP, 2019]
An EP that documents not only their transition from Guppy's grunge-pop to Young Enough's power-pop but something more complex: Eva Hendricks's powerful attraction to and sane distrust of these guys who say they love her and may even be telling the truth as they understand it ("Threat," "Feed") ***

Forever [Lucky Number, 2024]
First I noticed that chirpy Eva Hendricks was sounding more chipper than ever on her band's third catchy pop-rock long-player. From "Make it a habit/Love so good it's tragic" and "Hard to believe that you need me" to "It's so easy to love you/I never believed I could trust something bigger than me" and "I forgot somehow I can't do it without you/I'm yours no doubt I was always waiting for you" is a big leap. So I did some due diligence and learned that in real life the "you" in these songs is a Tinder hookup who was so taken with her that five years ago he drove hundreds of miles in Australia to be sure he caught her show—and that soon she'd pretty much broken up said band by remaining down under. Glad they're all still at it a decade after their debut and we shall see. The finale is the true capper, riding one of those indelible lines it's hard to believe no one thought of first so maybe someone did: "I want you to be my last first kiss." (Turns out there a bunch of songs called "Last First Kiss," the most notable by five producers and three members of One Direction.) A