One of the few true enigmatic artists operating in this age of candid digitalism, Montell Fish is a fiercely creative entity, who tightly fits his cult status pocket; a marauding maverick. Today, (27th September) the singer-songwriter unveils his new album, Charlotte, an expressionistic effigy that cuts deep below its scorched surface.

It’s the second instalment of the JCM trilogy that began with 2022’s excellent record Jamie, with this fresh opus a continuation of Fish’s sprawling methodology and philosophical outlook to songwriting. Across the LP—made in close collaboration with Jacob Portrait of Unknown Mortal Orchestra—Fish examines love, ambition, grief and discovery with a fearless poise, thoughtful in his ideas and visceral in his performance atop the genre-spanning sonic palettes. He’s also taking the album out of tour this autumn with a sprawling list of dates across the States and Europe—tickets here.

To take a broader look at Fish’s fantastic new record, Wonderland connected with the mysterious artist himself, who gifts us with a track-by-track analysis.

Listen to Charlotte…

Read Fish’s thoughts…

“AMOR”
The opening track on Charlotte, “Amor” felt like a prelude to the rest of the record. It was inspired by classical and latin music that my girlfriend was listening to at the time. It sets the stage for the unexpected or somewhat chaotic and experimental journey that follows.
 
“Who Did You Touch Last Night”
“Who Did You Touch Last Night?” was the first song that was written for the album. It is meant to evoke this energy of a Parisian night club. It was the beginning of my DJ Gummy Bear character with the four-to-the-floor style production. 
 
“Do You Remember”
One of the important themes on Charlotte is the growth that’s possible when a relationship ends. But when two people come apart, the raw feelings of confusion and hurt linger. It hints at psychological concepts and Stockholm syndrome. It was cool because it was one of the first times we heard the guitarist, Dylan Day, producing on the Album that Jacob found. He added a lot of new sound to the album by changing out my cords. This melancholy airing of deep feelings clears the way for the bigger, ego-driven moments later on the album.
 
“You Changed On Me” 
With a delicate and quiet moment, “You Changed On Me” is an ambient memory of home. It feels like Pittsburgh, where I grew up. Sonically, it’s comparable to the seasons for example, how it gets colder in the winter. It has the feeling of a classic interlude, a meditative moment driven by a concise expression of feeling.
 
“Scream My Name”
“Scream My Name” was one of the final songs crafted for the album, it carries an energy that feels ready for live performances on tour. The track explores the unsettling feeling of a third person in a relationship, evoking the fear that your lover might be calling out someone else’s name instead of yours. It makes you want to scream!

 
“Is it A Crime”
“Is It a Crime” is one of the most Prince flavored moments on the album. I wrote the hook a few years ago and when I made the beat for it, I started with 80s snares. I’m glad it has made it to where it is now with Jacob, the bassist of UMO. 
 
“God Or The Devil” 
God Or The Devil” was initially a poem that I wrote for the album that I turned into a song. Then Daniel Ceasar came by my house during the tour and hopped on it. I enter singing at the tip-top of my register with a high falsetto layered into a stack of harmonizing vocals that ask the question: “God or the devil, which one will you choose?” which I love.
 
“Star”
Another collaboration that I think turned out great with Jacob. With 80s-sounding guitar riffs, this one fully feels like a rock track. I tapped into a few genres. I got out of myself for this one so i’m pretty proud of it. This moves away from the intimacy of being singer-songwriter recording in their bedroom to a sound that would suit an arena.
 
“It’s Gonna Cost You”
“It’s Gonna Cost You” is another stand-out moment with Jacob. We took it to a new level from the demo. This song has a feverish funk examination about the toll ambition takes. It feels like the most wild and crazy song. It’s profane and sacred.
 
“Heaven”
“Heaven” is a showcase for my voice, still gleaming under a thick coating of reverb. The final section is entirely instrumental, giving the impression that I’ve faded out of sight. With gloomy synths and a spare guitar, “Heaven” feels like a good ending to a chaotic story and a foreshadow of hopefully something more different in the future, but there’s one last song waiting in the wings.
 
“This Is The End”
“This Is the End” is a conceptual track to end it off figuring out things on a spiritual matter. Sounding like it was recorded from the dusty airwaves of a long-forgotten AM radio station, it is a gentle closing to the album for “Amor” to come back around.