Indie rock band Charlie Straight are a group of Czech guys who just happen to sound like one of the best Britpop bands you’ve ever heard — even down to the noticeable British accent. Having met at school in their hometown of Trinec, singer/guitarist Albert Cerny, bassist Jan Cienciala, keyboardist Michal Supak, and drummer Pavel Pilch took on the name Charlie Straight, which was based on a screen name that Cerny used online at one point, and began churning out anthemic melodies and earnest lyrical narratives that couldn’t help but draw the listener into the band’s lush soundscapes and unique approach to these familiar sounds.
After the release of their 2009 debut record,She’s A Good Swimmer (which earned them three Czech Grammy awards), the band continued building their already considerable fanbase by touring extensively across Europe, the UK, and the United States. The band eventually got back into the studio to record their 2012 sophomore album,Someone With A Slow Heartbeat, with UK producer Guy Fixsen (My Bloody Valentine, The Pixies). And in March of 2013, the band won the Czech Grammy Award for Best Song of the Year for “Coco,” which was taken fromSlow Heartbeat.
And now, for our latest glimpse into their sophomore record, the band has released the video for “Coco,” and with its narrative of fractured love and hopeful reconciliation, the clip takes the exuberant chorus and ringing guitars of the song and uses them as a springboard for this story of unattended affection. Cerny has always been able to reach the rafters when he put his mind (and voice) to it, and here he conveys the sense of desperation as these two people feel the love falling away from each other. But the song is nothing if not primed to explore the emotional reunion that we hope is inevitable. And with the continual upward movement that is gained every time the band passes through each consecutive verse and chorus, we’re drawn further and further into this inclusive tale of the romantic trials of these two individuals. As the video draws to a close, we’re left with a sense of resolution and hard won cathartic optimism and even the band seems relieved that everything has turned out alright.
Beats Per Minute is pleased to premiere the video for Charlie Straight’s upcoming single, “Coco.”
