Former DELAIN singer CHARLOTTE WESSELS teams up with SIMONE SIMONS of EPICA for the new single “Dopamine”

Former DELAINE Singer Charlotte Wessels has joined forces with EPICA‘S Simone Simons for Charlotte‘s fascinating new single titled “Dopamine”. This track is part of WesselsThe first traditional full-length solo album, “The Obsession”will be released on September 20, 2024 via Napalm RecordsThe two Dutch symphonic metal legends promise a profound and moving experience, taking listeners through the emotional landscape of SSRI-induced deafness. “The Obsession” Showcases Wesselss most mature work to date, mixing progressive and harder soundscapes with catchy elements.

Supported by her former DELAINE Bandmates who contribute to the harder sound of the album, Wessels will bring “The Obsession” on stage this year. The journey begins with a release show on October 4, 2024 at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, followed by a special guest appearance with label colleagues CAMELOT And AD INFINITUM in Drachten on October 11, 2024. After these shows Wessels will join VOLA on your “Friend of the Phantom” European tour 2024, starting on November 1st.

Wessels commented: “Lyrically, “Dopamine” is about SSRI-induced numbness I experienced a few years ago when I was taking sertraline, an antidepressant. Although the medication really helped, it had so many side effects that I had never heard of. This song is about some of those, and while it feels vulnerable to disclose the experience, I hope it helps break down the shame and taboo surrounding the subject.

“Simone contacted me when I first talked about it in an interview, and when the first version of “Dopamine” fell on Patreon (because we are each other’s Patreons, of course) she wrote to me saying how much she liked the song, so when we were working on the album version, it was only natural to ask her if she would sing on the song. I’m so glad she agreed, and after all that soul-searching together, it was great fun relaxing in ball pits and marshmallow pools wearing pink wigs for the video shoot. Musically, the entire new album is “Dopamine” went through the biggest transformation. What started as an EDM demo for a collaboration with a dance duo that never came to fruition became the acoustic “Song of the Month” on Patreonwhich then underwent a comprehensive revision when it was Timo. The new band version is an absolute blast, and the beautiful guest vocals by Simone finish the song.”

“The Obsession” Markings Wessels‘S Napalm Records debut, and while her previous solo projects – full song compilations “Tales from Six Feet Under” (2021) and “Tales from Six Feet Under, Volume II” (2022) — has already earned her a remarkable number of followers, “The Obsession” really takes her career to the next level.

The new album promises a coherent exploration of fear and liberation, as well as captivating melancholy and dark, catchy elements that meet progressive and harder soundscapes. The storytelling within the songs gives the multifaceted album even more depth and makes “The Obsession” an exciting listening experience and Wesselss most mature solo offering to date.

While she still sings the songs of her Six Feet Under basement home studio and shared her first incarnations with her patrons, Wessels now takes the songs from her new album, “The Obsession”to the next level with a band of her ex-colleagues.DELAINE Cohorts Timothy Somers (guitars, additional arrangements),Otto Schimmelpenninck Van Der Oije (bass) and Joey Marin De Boer (drums) and Sophia Vernikov (piano/Hammond), which contribute to the new, harder sound. The album also contains arrangements of Vikram Shankar (SILENT SKIES, PAIN OF REDEMPTION), cello by Elianne Anemaatwas mixed by Guido Aalbers (MUSE, COLDPLAY, THE ASSEMBLY) and was mastered by Andy VanDette (Porcupine tree, VOLA, DREAM THEATER).

Wessels about the new album: “On the one hand, this album tells a very personal story – through its unintentional theme of fear, obsessions and escaping from them – and at the same time it represents the joy of finding the true forms of the song with everyone who was involved in the creation of this record. That is why I decided ‘The Obsession’ as a title. It references my personal challenges with OCD, which inspired many of the songs – but I also started referring to the band as ‘the Obsession’ because there were moments with them in the studio that really reminded me why I’m obsessed with making music in the first place.”

Themes such as fear, obsession and escapism are omnipresent on the album and present themselves dark and heavy in songs such as “The Exorcism”, “The Crying Room” And “Ode to the West Wind” (with Alissa White-Gluz from ARCH ENEMY). In addition, there are songs that offer a more optimistic approach to the topic – like “Dopamine” (with Simone Simons from EPICA), which deals with SSRI-induced deafness, or “Praise” — which sings the message that you need external validation to feel something. The new interpretation of the fan favorite “Gentle Revolution” not a single eye in the room will be dry while “Salvation of the soul” And “Serpentine” present an unprecedented dark sensuality. Each song itself functions like an exorcism, an attempt to drive out some of the fear it is about.

Wessels says about the guests: “I am extremely grateful and proud Simone Simons And Alissa White-Gluz to the line-up on this album. They are creative powerhouses that I love and respect very much. Whenever we work together it is an absolute pleasure and they really took the songs to a new level with their performances.”

“The Obsession” Song list:

01. Chasing sunsets
02. Dopamine
03. The Exorcism
04. Salvation of the soul
05. The Crying Room
06. Ode to the West Wind
07. serpentine
08. praise
09. Everything you are
10. Vigor and bravery
11. Breathe
12. Gentle Revolution (2024)