If there’s anything we should praise Mr. Charisma for, it’s that they made us long for a True Detective rewatch. Hailing from Houston, the Texan duo draws inspiration quite heavily from the celebrated HBO series, seeking to then translate the same gloomy and emotionally-charged imagery in aural terms. ‘Evil In This World’ is the perfect evidence of that, a four-track EP steeped in obscure and melancholic Americana and overall folk goodness, a stream of nostalgic acoustic material that feels brooding and sombre.
All songs have been written in the minor and Dorian scales, and carry Mr. Charisma’s dark, deep vocals. Austin and Chris are the talented humans behind the project, here seen championing simplicity and minimalism above all else. It’s a formula that works well, with raw guitars sustaining an equally hypnotic and gritty lyrical matter.
Delving deeper into the creative ethos that connects the group’s music to the aesthetic and imagery behind True Detective, Austin explain: “The general premise of the voice in this band is one of the cynic, someone like Rust Cohle, who sees another side of the issue at hand. Someone who wants to probe further into the heart of matters to hopefully get to some clearer, more accurate understanding of truth, no matter what the cost. But that’s often a sad endeavour, so the mood of the songs reflects that entirely.”
Recommended! Discover ‘Evil In This World’ now: