Singer-songwriter Charlie Collins has released the third single from her first album since 2022, Nightwriter.
The emotional track, titled “The Last 48 Hours”, sees Collins tackle her issues with an addictive personality. Built around a raw steel-string guitar, the song swells as Collins reflects on the crutches she’s used while getting sober, all leading to the stark final lyric: “I’m always gonna be an addict”.
Despite the heavy subject matter of the song Collins said she “wanted it to be fun, not like woe is me but more ‘fuck it, this is who I am’.”
Collins added that it’s about “coming to terms with being an addict because of my addictive personality. When I became sober, I noticed I was still trying to find things to give me high whether it be nicotine, caffeine, masturbating, sex, relationships and pretty much anything that wasn’t drugs or alcohol.”
“I think I laughed most of the time writing this because it was a realisation of parts of my personality traits.”
Sean McDonald directed and produced the music video, which follows her light-hearted approach and shows Collins’ fun side while passing through Melbourne Suburbia.
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“I wanted to do something that shows my fun, dorky side and add light to the fact that I came to the realisation after becoming sober that I found other things to get addicted to because I realised I have an addictive personality,” said Collins.
It’s the latest release from Collins’ upcoming third album, Nightwriter, expected to be released on August 29th. Having first made waves as a part of Tigertown – touring with Panic! At the Disco, Troye Sivan, and Tove Lo – Collins launched her solo career in 2018.
Her first album, Snowpine, scored an ARIA nomination for Best Country Album and took out Best Independent Country Album at the 2020 AIR Awards. Follow-up Undone earned her another ARIA nod, this time for Best Blues & Roots Album.
While Collins refuses to limit herself to one genre, honesty has remained a central theme to Collins’ songwriting since her first release.
“I’m not one to shy away from confrontation when it comes to stuff like this,” she says “I want to encourage women in particular to be bold and talk about the uncomfortable, we can also be real and raw with this and say it how it is.”
Charlie Collins’ “The Last 48 Hours” is out now.
