Q&A: Charlie Wilde Continues Collaboration With Peak Park on “Old Love”
☆ BY Marilù Ciabattoni ☆
QUIET AND INTIMATE — Charlie Wilde’s latest track, “Old Love,” gives “Another Love” by Tom Odell vibes. In other (more metaphorical) terms, it might be described as the way you’d feel if you were to spend your birthday all by yourself.
Wilde’s songwriting style has changed with each release. His first era was characterized by a wolf alter-ego (perhaps connected to the word “wild”), when he released his first two singles, “Low Fidelity” and “Disquietude,” as well as his debut EP, Antithesis, followed by his second, Allihies.
Now, Wilde has released two singles in collaboration with producer Peak Park, “Boyhood” and “Old Love.”
To find out where this rapidly changing artist is headed next, keep reading our interview below.
LUNA: Introduce yourself. How and when was your musical project born?
WILDE: The Charlie Wilde project started as a way to express the smallest parts of myself, to be able to take my shortcomings and turn them into strength. Even now, writing for Charlie is still one of my most satisfying creative outlets.
LUNA: How has your music changed within the past few years?
WILDE: Every major release has definitely headed in a different direction, and with what I have planned, that shows no signs of changing. When I first started, those pieces were very much flavored with a healthy amount of indie rock, before some of my pure singer-songwriter releases. My debut EP was so huge with this spaghetti Western–inspired sound coming through. Recently with each collaboration I do, the other artists make their imprint on the Charlie Wilde sound. Even with what I have planned for 2024, no single is the same.
LUNA: Who inspired your music? Who are your biggest influences?
WILDE: Musically speaking, there are so many, but the big few are Bon Iver, Patrick Watson, Keaton Henson, Woodkid, and The National. But I'm always ready to be inspired by something from any source — some of the best things I've written have come from completely surprising places.
LUNA: Could you introduce your favorite singles you've released so far?
WILDE: In terms of enjoyment for the creative/recording process, it has to be these releases with Peak Park. I usually freak out over the release process but these guys made it so fun, even with the subtext of the pieces remaining so heavy. It's tough to pick an all-time favorite but I remain so proud of my EP. “Buckley's Rd” might just win out, though, if only because it just has so much personal significance to me.
LUNA: How did you develop your style? Will you experiment with other genres in the future?
WILDE: Absolutely. Every release is unique, but with approaching this collaboration with Peak Park, we were really conscious of allowing both of our styles room to breathe, and when we realized that one single was becoming two, it just made sense to have one act take the lead for each single.
LUNA: What inspired “Old Love,” and how did it come to life?
WILDE: With “Old Love” being the second release with Peak Park, the process was certainly a bit different. At the time, we were just so focused on “Boyhood” that I just sort of ended up developing a new song along the way. While I brought forward the initial core of the song, for me it really took off when Tom introduced what would become the chords for the instrumental sections.
I have to also commend Peak Park’s approach to production, as well. My main contribution early on was to have this rotational droning sound from our horn/woodwind section, and I know how hard they worked to make that a reality.
LUNA: How do you choose which producers to work with? Do you have some dream producers you'd like to work with?
WILDE: I've accidentally revealed this already, but Tom from Peak Park recorded and produced these tracks, which worked particularly well as it allowed us to be writing as the pieces were also being recorded. From a wider perspective, my solo music isn't all that heavily produced, so I mainly look at someone not afraid to have their own ideas when recording — or perhaps more importantly okay with telling me when my ideas are terrible!
LUNA: Is music your main occupation at the moment? If not, how are you balancing your day job with your music career?
WILDE: [It’s] not quite [my main occupation], but it gets closer every year. The hope is that my catalog allows me to continue to write for other people. However, I'm also still a student.
LUNA: Have you ever been on tour?
WILDE: I have! COVID ruined it — it was terrible. But yes, technically I have had a national tour.
LUNA: Where do you see yourself in one year as a musician?
WILDE: Just inching closer and closer to more creative projects. I love the songwriting process, and whether doing it for myself and others I just want to be doing it all the time.
