Dear Pariah aka Charlie Hinchcliff is a Folkestone, Kent singer-songwriter whose latest release The Weeper Takes marks her first release on Cambridge based label Trapped Animal Records. Said EP follows a string of recordings commencing with 2012's S/T EP, 2014's Engulf EP, 2016's Misc. full-length debut, 2019's self explanatory bedroom demos, 2020's Live at Thaïs and finally the 2023 track Oi Khodyt' Son Kolo Vikon (The Dream Passes By The Window) for the United24 Fundraiser (set up by President Volodmyr Zelenskyy to support Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia).
Charlie lives with Multisystem Sarcoidosis which has caused permanent damage to her lungs, brain, eyes, skin, bones etc and unsurprisingly track themes tend to centre around such health struggles. It should also be highlighted that this latest work according to the promotional notes, incorporates more electronic elements than previously, is Dear Pariah's first proper studio recording since 2015 and sees her celebrating five years of sobriety. Finally being lauded by the legendary Simon Raymonde (ex-Cocteau Twins/Bella Union head) provided me with all the incentivization I needed to cover The Weeper Takes.
'Koko' the EP's first single, features the intelligent use of the aforementioned Electronics with a sound both sparse and stripped back, drawing comparisons to the Trip-Hop of Portishead as well as Lesley Rankin's overlooked post Silverfish project Ruby. The Vocals while emotive never feel overwrought, imbuing the track with a quiet dignity which the overdramatic likes of Adele could easily learn from. An excellent start. 'Nice To Be Nice' betrays a heavier Folk influence, one that taps into legends such as Joni Mitchell, Anne Briggs and Sandy Denny. Despite not being an especial follower of those artists or even that genre/scene as a whole, nonetheless the track is a really beautifully composed piece with a delicate, confessional like quality, able to move even the stoniest and cynical of hearts, including my own.
'The End', the longest track on the EP at over five minutes is undoubtedly its most epic. The track has a Drone-Doom sensibility not far removed from Dylan Carlson of Earth's solo work, but with the addition of Vocals. There is an almost resigned feel omnipresent not only implied by the title but also the arrangements. Lastly, imagine a less airy, more sombre Elizabeth Fraser (ex-Cocteau Twins), yep, its that good. 'Off' for some reason recalled Karen Carpenter (who faced her own health issues and concerns) what with its aching vulnerability and reminiscent of Carpenters tracks such as 'Rainy Days And Mondays' and 'We've Only Just Begun'. That band have become somewhat beloved by Alternative Rock heroes such as Sonic Youth and Redd Kross in recent years and now Dear Pariah appear to be the latest in that list, superb. Lastly there is bonus track 'TANK' with spoken word vocals and whose narrative speaks of what Hinchcliff must go through on a daily basis. It is heart-wrenching to listen to yet the music that accompanies has by contrast a soothingly Ambient, almost New-Age Brian Eno-esque quality and which concludes The Weeper Takes on a truly intriguing note.
My first exposure to Dear Pariah's music, a wonderful collection of delicately spun, cathartic Lo-Fi Electronic Folk, certainly won't be my last. I was very impressed with what Charlie has forged here especially as it reminded me of all the female solo artists who I admire and enjoy the most; Marissa Nadler, Plum Green, Beth Gibbons to name three. This is therefore a release which I can both heartily and highly recommend and one you should urgently check out as soon as possible.
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