Charlie’s Hand Movements distil twenty years of weirdness into the brilliantly focused ‘Somethingism’

'Somethingism' is the sound of Charlie’s Hand Movements finally bottling their own particular kind of chaos.

Across eleven tracks, the Essex duo take the psych-pop curiosity, DIY intimacy and restless experimentation that have defined their work for years and sharpen it into something remarkably cohesive. The result is an album that still feels strange, playful and unpredictable, but now with a sense of focus that makes every left turn land harder.

Charlie’s Hand Movements have never lacked ideas. Their 2020 album 'Nuclear Tapes' sprawled across 38 tracks, while 'Heavy Days' began the process of reigning that ambition in. Here, they go even further, stripping things back without losing any of the personality that made their earlier work so compelling.

The tension between quiet intimacy and bursts of noise gives the record real life. At one moment, the songs feel close enough to whisper directly into your ear; the next, they open into something messier, stranger and far more expansive. That push and pull suits the duo’s self-described existentialist bedroom psych-pop perfectly, allowing moments of uncertainty, humour and abstraction to coexist without ever feeling forced.

There are shades of Super Furry Animals, Grizzly Bear, Flaming Lips and Boards of Canada in the mix, but it never feels like a collage of influences. Instead, those reference points are absorbed into a sound that feels increasingly self-contained and unmistakably theirs.

The decision to shape the album with vinyl in mind also seems to have helped give it a stronger arc. There's a satisfying sense of pacing throughout, with quieter details given enough room to matter before the bigger, noisier moments arrive.

After more than two decades of making music together, Charlie’s Hand Movements sound more energised than ever. Inventive, eccentric and wonderfully alive, 'Somethingism' is the kind of record that rewards repeat listens while still making an immediate impression. It feels like refinement without compromise, proof that narrowing the frame can sometimes make the colours burn even brighter.