All This Time, Asleep is the new EP from London duo Charlotte Spiral. Produced by Mercury Prize nominated artist and celebrated producer Dave Okumu (Jessie Ware, Nilufer Yanya, Lianne La Havas, Joan As Police Woman), the EP provides the follow up to last year’s New Light EP which was produced with Dan Carey (Fontaines DC, Wet Leg, Kae Tempest, Bat For Lashes). Ahead of the release of the EP, the pair have revealed both the title track and “Roots”, which you can listen to below.
The EP is a 4 track collection that explores the space between dreams and features two previously unheard tracks, “Tomorrow”, which tackles the mundanity of having to do the same job day in, day out and “Walls”, a song where Amy reimagines the challenging life of her Grandmother through memory and dreamscapes. Speaking about the EP, Amy says
“All This Time, Asleep is about embracing change and exploring imagination; getting rid of all the darkness and discovering colour. Once the EP was finished, we looked back on some of the lyrics and noticed that while they are about mundane, real-life things – arguing with a loved one, going to work, reflecting on time spent with family – they also incorporate references to dreams and surreal moments. We like to think of it as the moment before you wake up, where you’re half asleep – kind of dreaming, kind of not; thinking about the past, and at the same time preparing yourself for the future. These moments also teach you something, maybe how to be a better person or perhaps how to be yourself. We wanted to explore that idea throughout all of the visuals too, creating weird looping dream scenes that could look normal at a first glance, and then you’re like “what the hell is happening here”?”
Despite what the name infers, Charlotte Spiral are a duo formed by the enigmatic Amy Spencer and Avi Barath. Taken from the name of a figure-skating move, the two come together in a wonderful medley of lyrical heritage, and contemporary sentiment.
As well as their work as Charlotte Spiral, the duo are both sought after collaborators, Avi as a musical director, producer and writer for Loyle Carner, Wesley Joseph, Berwyn, Rae Morris and many more. Amy has worked as a singer, writer and performer for DC Gore, Bicep and Motsa, amongst others. Their work together as Charlotte Spiral sits at the intersection of their many other creative projects; a fascinating coming together of two unique artists.
