Premiere: Chloe Rodgers’ Captivating “Coins for Charon” Is a Slow-Burning Upheaval

British singer/songwriter Chloe Rodgers soars on a cloud of smoldering sound in her dreamy fourth single “Coins for Charon,” an intimate upheaval blending jazz and pop, connection with longing.

Stream: “Coins for Charon” – Chloe Rodgers

Neither the pandemic, nor distance, nor time can keep Chloe Rodgers from holding a captive audience. The British singer/songwriter soars on a cloud of smoldering sound in her dreamy fourth single “Coins for Charon,” an intimate upheaval blending jazz and pop, connection with longing.

It might have been 5 months
Since we looked at the moon
Now there’s oceans between
I haven’t left the house

I since been without breath
Sleepwalking, tiptoeing the streets
Drink in my left hand ice cubes dancing
Quietly,

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Coins for Charon,” our March 9, 2021, via Crowds and Power Music Group. Chloe Rodgers’ first release of 2021 comes just six months after the Nottingham, UK born and based artist introduced herself through her delicate debut, “A Delphian Lullaby.”

Following her songs “Faces” (a fragile blend of ethereal vocals and violins, soothing pianos and ricocheting drums) and “The Algea” – each of which is worth a hearty listen – Rodgers continues to embrace an ethereal aesthetic as she weaves together visceral tapestries with a delicate touch. She opens “Coins for Charon” hot on the mic, with distant warbly keyboards supporting her dazzling vocal performance. Her lyrics evoke a sense of separation and yearning – a sense of loss and dreaming.

And then the drums kick in, and everything changes. What could once be called a ballad quickly transforms into a stirringly energetic uproar, rising and falling in great waves of sound and emotion. Rodgers, who has up to this point in time been hailed as an “indie pop songstress,” defies definition through a subversive mix of throttling drums and buoyant strings. Think an organic version of Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You” meets Billie Eilish… sort of. Whatever kind of “singer/songwriter” you call Chloe Rodgers, know that you will be thoroughly enthralled. She invites us deeper into her inner sanctum as this musical transformation takes place around her:

All that’s left of what we had now is a gram of dust
All that’s left of who we were now is a gram of dust
But our spirits sinking slowly to the bottom touch
Forever

“‘Coins for Charon’ was co written by Anders Källmark and Nick van Hofwegan, AKA Young & Sick,” Rodgers tells Atwood Magazine. “I think Anders came up with the chords and Nick the lyrics. I do like the track. The dynamic change and percussion in the chorus was a good call, and the drummer (Giovanni Velez), is a genius. Originally the song didn’t have any percussion so the pace was the same as it is in the verses throughout, so the percussion made a huge difference and really brought it to life. There was some debate about whether to make it a Chloe Rodgers song or a Twenty Committee song to begin with as well, as I’m usually a bit of a diva about not being keen on releasing other people’s writing under my own name, but I can’t resist a good mythology reference and the mood works well with my sound so we decided to put it out under my name.”

For the uninitiated, Charon is the song of Erebus and Nyx in Greek mythology who maintained the duty of ferrying souls of the deceased over the Rivers Styx and Acheron. His payment was the coin that was placed in the mouth of the corpse. Rodgers’ alluring lyrics paint a vivid illustration of a post-death existence: “All that’s left of who we were now is a gram of dust, but our spirits sinking slowly to the bottom touch.” Specific yet vague, there is no limit to what a single listener may take out of these evocative lyrics:

All that’s left of us is bones
Perfectly arranged on the floor
Letter to who we left
Silver coins for Charon
Knife in my right hand
Violently dancing
Quietly,

All that’s left of what we had now is a gram of dust
All that’s left of who we were now is a gram of dust
But our spirits sinking slowly to the bottom touch
Forever

“Coins for Charon” is in many ways comparable to Chloe Rodgers’ other three song releases to date, and yet it is so singular in its standout lyrical, vocal, and instrumental performance that it might as well be the artist’s second debut in less than a year. Rodgers is not like the other “indie pop” or “alt-pop” artists who spring up left and right these days; a bright spark out of Nottingham, she is a beacon of intimate, genre-bending musicality equipped with a stunning voice and a breathtaking sonic breadth.

Stream “Coins for Charon” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more to come from Chloe Rodgers as she continues to introduce herself through song throughout the coming year. Without a doubt, this is one artist worth putting on all our radars.

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Stream: “Coins for Charon” – Chloe Rodgers

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