It’s been a long seven years since the release of the debut album Deity by New York-based solo artist Charlie Schmid. The world has changed significantly in that time, and so has Schmid. While Deity was a darker, atmospheric, post punk affair, the new work from Del Judas is moving in a brighter direction. “I would characterize the new material as the outcome of a psychic rebirth,” explains Schmid. “I’ve taken a lot of time to meditate and contemplate who I want to be as a person and as an artist since the release of my last record. I was in a dark place back then, which is why Deity was such a dark record. The upcoming material has some dark undertones of course, but ultimately reveals itself as more playful and revelatory.”
Today, Del Judas is premiering their first new music in seven years, the video for the new song “Angela,” which will be streaming everywhere tomorrow. With the moody, bluesy style of Dire Straits on the verses and an almost power pop chorus, “Angela” brings a sense of hope to the gloom.
“The song is about love and loss,” says Schmid. “A snapshot in time from a summer spent upstate.” He continues, explaining how his day job came to affect his music: “Now I sing professionally as a crooner for an entertainment company and play guitar and percussion for private events as well. That’s how I earn my living. I feel that if it wasn’t for this shift in my career, I wouldn’t have transitioned into making the music I’m making now. I’m a firm believer that you end up sounding like who you’re surrounded by, and I can say with confidence that dressing up in a gold blazer and singing the shit out of Frank Sinatra has forged a new version of me.” Check out the beautifully complex and atmospheric video below.
Del Judas is working on a new full-length that Schmid promises will be “melodically dramatic, with overtones of country-western infused with the baroque pop excesses of the 1960s.”
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Photo courtesy of Jaka Vinsek
