Charlotte Cardin Gives Herself the Love She Deserves in '99 Nights'
Multi-JUNO-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Charlotte Cardin has released her stellar sophomore album, 99 Nights. Crafted in Montreal, the album saw Cardin team up with a slew of collaborators, including DFA (Dua Lipa), Ryan Linvill (Conan Gray), Felix Joseph (Jorja Smith), and more, all of whom brought to life the artist's vision of creating a twelve-track body of work that is equal parts vulnerable and heartfelt.
Cardin carefully assembled what would become 99 Nights while on the road in 2021. After initial sessions in Montréal, she wrote and recorded in London, Los Angeles, and Toronto. The album allowed the rising star to tap into her instincts as an artist and lean into what she was going through at the present moment. "I'm more comfortable with my true instincts than I've ever been. This process helped me with a lot of things. I'm happier than I've been in a long time, too, so it's really positive," she says of the final product.
99 Nights begins with the warm and nostalgic tones of "Puppy." Amid sun-drenched guitar riffs, Cardin expresses that she's moving on from the past and is "..in a good state of mind / Like a puppy at the window / I just wanna feel the wind blow." With this warmth coursing through her, she's feeling new sensations and experiencing a brighter, better world, manifesting a future painted just for her. The record then takes a darker turn with the haunting and dance-inducing "Enfer," featuring Skillman. Interwoven with French lyrics, she wrestles with the complicated emotions that arise when she's around her lover.
"Confetti" is a vibrant anthem for the introverts of the world. The song explores the feelings of going out only to end up with your social battery draining too quickly. Cardin wrote the track after realizing she would have to lock herself in the bathroom to recompose herself at every party she attended. Cardin sets the scene in the first verse with the lyrics, "Always been loud in a quiet way / I always feel alone in a crowded place / I always wanna stay, wanna go / Wanna stay, wanna go / I don't know."
"Way Back" is a brass-led, simmering song filled with seductive lyrics and intoxicating rhythms. Finding herself alone for the night, Cardin and a friend, who goes "way back" with her, find themselves in each other's company. Giving into the building tension and their instincts, the two become lovers for the night as swelling instrumentals fill the air and encourage all who listen to let loose. The previously-released "Jim Carrey" is a playful, upbeat track partially inspired by the acclaimed actor of its title. It puts its foot on the gas pedal and doesn't let up, with a shuffling beat and twinkling keys placing Cardin's glowing voice front and center as she races to the end of the three-minute track. It is a love letter to personal freedom, as she repeats in the anthemic chorus, "Goodbye my worthless ego / Without you I'm finally free, oh."
Other stand-out tracks include the groovy "How High" and the witty, sweet revenge-filled "Somebody First," leading to the title track, "99 Nights." The song is a jewel among jewels on the mesmerizing sophomore effort that sees the Montréal-born, Paris-based artist come to terms with her yearning for a cold lover, putting her captivating vocals on full display to illustrate the unfortunately relatable experience. It opens with a nostalgic blend of Cardin's rich vocals and dreamy, guitar-driven instrumentals. The singer pleads with her lover, asking if there's something she can do to regain the love and affection they used to give her.
After transitioning through the intricate worlds of the sunny "Someone I Could Love," the laid-back and jazzy "Looping," and the biting "Daddy's a Psycho," the album's closer, "Next to You," is an idyllic piano ballad that fully displays Cardin's rich and ethereal vocals and serves as a love letter and farewell to her hometown of Montreal. Of the song, she says, "'Next to You' is a love letter to my hometown of Montreal. So many people, places, and emotions anchored me there, and this song is about letting go when the winds of change call. It was written with my dear and talented friend Patrick Watson over a period of six transformative months where I knew I had to leave a place I love in order to grow."
As Cardin's star continues to rise, the talented singer-songwriter will be taking her new material on the road for an international headline tour kicking off August 30 with stops in New York City at Irving Plaza, Boston at Brighton Music Hall, Los Angeles at the El Rey Theatre and London at KOKO.
Listen to 99 nights below:
