2020 was a big year for personal growth and reflection. It was also a big year for learning about the world around us and working to understand it better. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the world and is really intertwined with these themes. Charlee Remitz knows this. In her new album, Heaven’s a Scary Place, the pandemic was one of Charlee’s sources of inspiration. Charlee poured her heart and soul into creating a timely, ten-song project about letting go and moving on.
Charlee has been circulating the indie airwaves since her breakout debut LP, Bright White Trims. Believing everything fundamental to happiness lies below the surface, Charlee reworks modern pop with her own indie style. An award-winning independent singer-songwriter, mixer, and producer, Charlee began a hot streak in 2019. Charlee released a series of self-produced, self-mixed, and self-written singles almost monthly, leading up to her early 2020 album, Garden. Charlee’s Garden, a 17-track, one-woman LP, appeared on Billboard, Consequence of Sound, Refinery29, Alternative Press, Earmilk, American Songwriter, LA Weekly, and Spotify’s editorial Pisces playlist. Charlee performed to her biggest crowd yet at the 11:11 in West Hollywood to kick off a West Coast tour. Charlee’s work has amassed millions of streams on Spotify, in addition to three top 200 debuts on college radio, and multiple song placements in popular Bravo and E! shows.
With part of her inspiration stemming from the pandemic, Charlee worked quickly and purposefully while quarantined in her Hollywood bedroom. Charlee was determined to release her fourth and final pop album before the end of 2020, hoping that listeners will relate to the music she has created.
Feel empowered with new album from Charlee Remitz
Heaven’s a Scary Place opens with “Movie Theater,” one of the album’s singles. “Movie Theater,” “Heaven’s a Scary Place,” “Season Friends,” “Fairy King,” and “The New 1980s” all have a chill energy with a beat that pulses forward. “Movie Theater” and “Season Friends” are a bit relaxed but still have an uptempo feel. “Heaven’s a Scary Place,” “Fairy King,” and “The New 1980s” have a more upbeat and energetic feeling. “Fairy King” has an air of nostalgia to it, and “The New 1980s” has a hopeful and optimistic feel.
“Romance Me,” “I Don’t Really Miss Somebody,” “An Endless Love,” and “Weigh Anchor” each have a distinct sense of airiness to them. “Romance Me” and “An Endless Love” have a certain flowing energy to them, which is made even more interesting by Charlee’s use of synths. “I Don’t Really Miss Somebody” and “Weigh Anchor” have a certain nostalgic and wistful feeling, further channeling Charlee’s emotive work.
“Personal,” ninth and second-to-last track, is an interlude featuring spoken word with instrumentals in the background. In this track, Charlee channels a sound and energy that intertwines a peacefulness and a sense of passion. Charlee explains what this album means to her and what she wants listeners to get from it. Overall, Charlee wants listeners to learn more about themselves, and to feel empowered, validated, and confident.
