Charles Howl

Charles Howl, a London outfit, merges the jangling psychedelia of the 1960s with that of 1990s dream pop while folding in surf, post-punk, indie pop, and 1970s German rock elements to complete its sound. Guitarist and vocalist Danny Nellis, who records as Charles Howl, and guitarist Bobby Syme, aka Danny Voltaire, make up the duo. Nellis launched the band after setting aside his Jerry Tropicano project and issuing the single "Surf Trem"/"Thinking of Home" on Lo Recordings in 2013. PNKSLM Recordings released a self-titled EP later the same year. Around that time Nellis and Syme also handled bass and drums, respectively, as the rhythm section of the Proper Ornaments. The pair chose Leeds for their debut album sessions, working inside Syke Lane's warehouse studio. With assistance from bassist Chris Hicks of Talons, they sharpened their arrangements and tightened both songwriting and production. After signing with Ample Play Records, known for its interest in neo-psych, the band issued its first album, Sir Vices, in early 2015. They next returned to the Proper Ornaments to help record the group's second album, Foxhole, which appeared in early 2017. At the same time Nellis and Syme moved to Amsterdam and booked time in a reggae studio for the next Charles Howl project. They performed nearly all the instrumental and vocal parts themselves, though Victoria Hamblett supplied backing vocals and Richard Jones contributed string arrangements. Oh Many Records released the resulting album, My Idol Family, in October 2017.