Named after a colour that supposedly cannot be seen when printed (but also a French liqueur discovered by monks some 900 years ago and rogue marketed by its makers as ‘the elixir of long life’), the four multi-instrumentalists that form Chartreuse find inspiration in the assorted works of Hans Zimmer and by long drives out of the city, daydreaming of future lazy studio sessions in the South of France. They all agree on assorted songs and records by Radiohead, Bon Iver, Ben Howard and Sharon Van Etten, and agree to disagree on many others.

Hailing from the Black Country, Chartreuse create richly textured, loose-limbed, soul music. It oozes warmth, intimacy and melancholy. It’s a sound that roughly orbits that languid, we’re-in-no-rush insouciance of a Lambchop, the shivering grandeur of Nick Cave, and occasionally the chest thumping, life-affirming unity of The National. There’s something of the lounge-y, devil-may-care attitude of King Krule here too.  In truth, it sounds unlike any of them, an unexpectedly furtive marrying of studious folk, soul, jazz, and RnB in its truest sense by a young band making their deliciously beguiling first steps.

Loosely fronted by the alternate vocals of Michael Wagstaff and Harriet Wilson, these are thoughts, feelings and curiosities initially scrawled out on paper scraps, and songs that act as their writers’ own personal therapy. Conceived and sculpted in their rehearsal cabin, less in homage to Justin Vernon than the only quiet room they could realistically find, it’s offered them a private space to seclude themselves away and pour over every detail of their recorded sound. And you can hear it.

The debut EP “Even Free Money Doesn’t Get Me Out Of Bed” was released in late 2019. It was a beguiling first bow that sounded suitably out of step, sepia-tinged and floating on a cloud of its own. It evoked a nocturnal mood begging for second listens, third listens. As well-suited to late nights as it was to sound-tracking early mornings.

That Chartreuse have taken their time to deliver a follow up should come as no surprise. What’s the rush? Having started and finished their second EP just as the world ground to a halt back in March, Chartreuse spent those solitary weeks away from each other sending track stems back and forth primarily of flourishing instrumental sounds. Building the songs blind, but somehow second guessing each other to within similar ballparks, the band created a mixtape, of sorts, splicing these bits and pieces together to make an interesting whole. A documentation of a band’s creation during lockdown, they uploaded it online and left it to ruminate. Just for fun.

As the guidelines on lockdown slowly began to lift, and a cautious, collective rubbing of eyes ensues, the second Chartreuse EP is readied. It’s called Keep Checking Up On Me and it’s a fascinating, assured next step. The opening moments of Tall Grass, that fronts the new recordings, are hushed and tempered.  Shut up and listen. Don’t forget to breathe. It steadies itself in the same gear throughout, Michael’s vocal almost spoken-word in self-reflection. There’s something of the Chemikal Underground about it; intimate snapshots given space to breathe and room to manoeuvre.

The EP was produced partly by Michael himself (Tall Grass and Hope That You’re Not Holy) and partly with Luke Smith at his studio in Tottenham. These five new songs feel immediately at ease with each other and their shared sense of out-of-stepness. A subtle grandiosity with character, that speaks of introspection and self-preservation. Considered music from the soul, heading straight to your heart.

 Chartreuse are: Harriet Wilson (vocals/piano), Michael Wagstaff (vocals/guitar/piano), Perry Lovering (bass), and Rory Wagstaff (drums).

 The Keep Checking Up On Me EP is released 9th October 2020 through Communion Records.