There’s something wonderfully unpredictable about Charlie’s Hand Movements, the Essex-based psych-pop duo who have spent years finding beauty in the space between bedroom intimacy and gloriously chaotic noise. With Somethingism, their fifth album and second release of 2026, the band lean into that contrast while trimming away the excess.
Opening track “W D E KO” sets the tone with punchy beats and a distinctive, raspy high-register vocal that immediately grabs your attention. The delivery shifts between singing and conversational phrasing, giving the track an off-kilter, almost confessional character. Its reflections on hypocrisy, involving both the narrator and another figure, add a wry edge to the performance. Rather than dressing everything up in neat answers, Charlie’s Hand Movements seem happy to sit with human contradictions, letting the music’s restless energy mirror the messiness of the subject.
The title track, “Somethingism,” takes a more relaxed approach while keeping the groove firmly in place. Heavy bass and thumping beats provide a sturdy foundation, while shimmering musical textures lend the arrangement a hazy, almost dreamlike glow. Against this backdrop, the vocals feel loose and unhurried, allowing the song to settle into its own atmosphere. It’s a different kind of pull from the opening track: less confrontational, more immersive, but equally interested in the strange corners of everyday existence.
The album’s appeal lies in this balancing act. Charlie’s Hand Movements have drawn inspiration from adventurous psych-pop and art-rock, yet their DIY bedroom origins remain central to the project’s personality. Following the sprawling 38-track experiment Nuclear Tapes and the more contained Heavy Days, Somethingism finds the duo chasing something leaner, instinctive, and essential.
Recorded between March and July and conceived with vinyl in mind, Somethingism embraces the weirdness, keeps the grooves moving, and leaves enough room for the unexpected to slip through.
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Review by: Naomi Joan