Charmer talks debut album and finding inspiration at home

Michigan natives Charmer have been taking the midwestern emo scene by storm after recently releasing their debut self-titled album with No Sleep Records.

The album was recorded and produced by Jake Ewald and Ian Farmer of Modern Baseball.

Charmer is a seamless flow of nostalgia that is carried by soft guitar riffs and moody lyrics. Songs such as “Floral” and “Pretty Over College” surround the listener in smooth acoustic harmonies.

We had a moment to chat with guitarist David Daignault about the album and what it was like breaking into the music scene while living up north.

Kailey Howell: In the current surge of emo music, Charmer stands out with its smooth, melodic instrumentals and nostalgic feels. Can you tell me a little about the writing process behind the album?

David Daignault: Thanks! It’s all pretty natural. For this record I wrote songs gradually as time passed so nothing ever felt forced. Once I had a shell of a song I introduced it to Nick and Neil and they would add their parts accordingly.

KH: What was your favorite song to write? Least favorite?

DD: I’m not sure if I could answer that. They’re all significantly different experiences and I kind of think of the album as a whole rather than individual songs.

KH: All of the songs of this album seem to flow seamlessly into one another. Was this planned? How did you determine the track order of the album?

DD: Yeah it was definitely planned. Once we narrowed the album down to the 10 songs we carefully arranged them so it would be as seamless as possible when listening to the album as a whole. We’re currently figuring out what to do with all the other tracks that didn’t make the cut.

KH: “Pretty Over College” is a very relatable song, especially now during finals season for most students. How was it balancing a band and going to school? 

DD: Super easy! We were doing it at a very casual pace at the time just playing basement shows locally.

KH: Coming from way up north in Marquette, was there any obstacles when starting off as a band being so far away from Detroit? 

DD: Once we realized we wanted to pursue it farther it became quite the obstacle. I developed some marketing skills throughout college so I just applied that to our band to reach a larger audience of people through the internet. So with that and a lot of luck it worked out in our favor in the long run.

KH: In your interview with GoldFlakePaint, you mention that most of the album is about the “unfavorable experiences” of living in New York. That being said, what does being home mean to you?

DD: Part of the album is definitely about that experience. I absolutely love being home. It’s quiet and allows me to do everything I’m pursuing at the moment very comfortably. Growing up on a hobby farm I’ve developed a love for the outdoors and am proud that I can still pursue music at a high level being as secluded as we are.

KH: What are some of the venues you haven’t played at in Michigan that are on your bucket list to, if any?

DD: I’m pretty sure its been inactive for a while but I used to love going to shows at Clutch Cargo’s in Pontiac, MI. It was an old church converted into a venue and it had such character to it. I remember a really memorable show there in 2011 with Say Anything and The Front Bottoms. I left there really inspired to start making music of my own.

KH: What are some of the stops on your Midwest tour that you’re looking forward to the most?

DD: We just completed a tour but will be back out again this summer. I personally love Philadelphia so hopefully we’ll be able to spend some time there on this upcoming tour.

KH: What can we look forward to from Charmer for the rest of 2018?

DD: A couple more tours! Maybe release some more music?

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