Based in Cheltenham, England, it's the ever-impressive indie artist Charlie Sly, and the singer-songwriter has delivered an emotionally raw masterclass with his deeply personal single, "Never Had".
... an emotionally raw, bittersweet masterpiece of heartbreak and healing from one of Cheltenham's finest.
The single has its roots in the heartbreaking breakup of an 11-year relationship, and Charlie has taken that and turned it into a 4:18 song that will have you dropping your jaw with appreciation. His vocals on this are absolutely stunning, and for me, on first listen, it reminded me of a slow jam by Tame Impala mixed with some acoustic rockers from the early 2010s.
There is a nice mixture of jangly and sugary guitars in this, with intimate drums that are rather sparse in texture but help to give the track plenty of atmosphere. It's all about that bittersweet process of letting go, and I feel that after writing this song Charlie has let it go, reflected, and been able to move on. One thing that remains is that he has been left with a track that could easily be one of the best tracks he's ever released.
It is absolutely stunning and I really hope that people will stand up and appreciate this track. Be sure to keep an eye on Charlie as once this track is picked up by the masses, I feel like the sky's the limit.