Take Care of You / Summertime
Charlotte Day Wilson, 27, is a Toronto native who has notably been making waves in the industry since her second EP in 2016 with striking emotional ballads as well as fun, uplifting, genre alternative songs. During her career thus far, she also made memorable features with other notorious artists such as Daniel Caesar on the song ‘Transform’ and ‘What You Need’ on producer, Kaytranada's most recent sophomore album ‘BUBBA’. Charlotte’s back to grace our airwaves once more with a special two-pack offering – ‘Take Care of You/Summertime’ – perfect escapism tracks during these times.
‘Take Care of You’ which features a subtle yet impactful assistance from the always distinctive Syd, finds both women singing a soulful love ballad accompanied with a lo-fi, heavy bass-line instrumentation and Chopped & Screwed background vocals as the chorus croons “I’ll take care of you, if you want me to”. In a press release, Charlotte said “I just wanted to write the sort of lesbian love song that I would want to listen to. Syd was the best possible addition, we both felt it was a song that needed to be heard”. As a result, we receive a beautiful, timely, progressive record from two very successful female musicians who also happen to be members of the LGBTQ+ community.
‘Summertime’ on the other hand has a very breezy, upbeat tone as we find Charlotte lamenting over a cold distanced lover who seemingly comes alive in summertime and is vibrant and exciting but “Can’t fall in love, no”. Additionally, commenting on the inception of ‘Summertime’, Charlotte said “I wrote ‘Summertime’ at my cottage alone in the woods, I was just reflecting on some unrequited emotions that always seem to come back in the summer.” The R&B & Soul atmosphere here heightens the nostalgia and relatability of summer lust and coincidentally so, unrequited love.
Looking at the cover art for this mini EP, I find it very intriguing as it features a horizontally placed, blurry, black and white photo which is cut off at the top, concealing the identity of what appears to be two women, one of whom could be Charlotte, leaning in to kiss the other on the cheek as she looks ahead. The Black and White colour choice is always an interesting one considering that we are often inclined to mentally register the colour scheme as either old-fashioned, retro or reminiscent of a simpler, easier time. Here the Black & White photo adds a layer of naturalism and captures what seemingly is the nostalgia of a special memory and time, a memory however that could very much tie in with the heartache that is musically discussed.
In addition, on the lower bottom right corner of the cover; you can see the Runtime, Writing, Production and Recording credits of both tracks. This neat, little insight into the creative process enables the listener to feel included and is an effective example of bridging the gap between artist and listener, something that Charlotte is clearly gifted at through her resonant artistry.
Charlotte Day Wilson continues to provide a unique, listening experience with her exploration of deep, richly textured perspectives on various themes in a heartfelt, inviting manner, and makes me even more excited for what else she’s got in store to come.