Brighton-based indie rocker urges men to open up about their feelings

Brighton-based indie rocker singer-songwriter Charlie Moss urges men to open up about their feelings with an important new single which sees him navigate loss.
Charlie MossCharlie Moss
Charlie Moss

The single sees him chart his reaction to what happened him – all as a way of urging other men to talk about their own experiences.

Charlie knows that speaking about what he had been through was certainly a key way of moving forward in his own case.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He is now hoping other men will follow suit – and similarly reap the benefits.

It all adds up to a new more personal tone to his writing.

“The single is One More Drink,” Charlie explains.

“And it’s about my journey over the past couple of years.

“It’s to encourage men to speak out about mental health.

“At the age of 21, I lost my dad to cancer last year and have had my own battles which inspired me to write this track.

“It addresses the stigma around mental health in men.

“I’d really like to encourage others to open up about mental health issues.

“I thought I would be more personal in my song-writing and also try to make it more relatable.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“My dad Steve got pancreatic cancer, and unfortunately, he died.

“I was only 21 when I lost him, and it was a big shock. I was really not sure how to deal with it, and I did struggle for a while.

“I was not good with the way I was feeling and why I was feeling that way.

“And I found a release through drink… before I realised that that wasn’t the best thing to be doing. It took me a long time to realise that. Too long. After I lost him, I didn’t immediately start having bereavement counselling. I started it about three months ago.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I had always struggled to open up to people about how I was feeling, and I hope that the song will encourage people, especially young men, to see that it can be so helpful to open up. I would love to try to help them through the song.

“I was drinking too much for about five or six months. If I felt down or if it was a bad day, I would have a drink and then maybe two or three more and then I would be drinking to forget. I was starting to become distant from people around me and I was getting more and more tired on a day to day basis. But then I realised that I wasn’t who I wanted to be… and I wasn’t who my dad would have wanted me to be.

“I tried to get the bereavement counselling through the NHS, but it was taking too long, so I ended up going private and it has definitely helped me understand my feelings and emotions and it has definitely helped me feel better.

“It has helped me realise that life can go on and also just to understand that what I was going through was completely normal.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“None of my friends of my age have had that same experience and so I couldn’t connect or empathise with the people around me.

“I was struggling to find anyone who could say to me ‘I know how you feel.’

“I felt quite alone, and I didn’t want to bring it up in front of my mum because she was upset as well, obviously. And so I think I just bottled it all up.

“Looking back, I just feel so much better now, better than I did, and I feel so much more able to talk about it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I find it so much easier now. I was very introverted to start with.

“But once I started letting down my guard, I just felt so much more comfortable about everything.”

The single is available through Apple Music, Spotify and iTunes.

Having played sold-out shows at The Haunt, Concorde 2 and Patterns in Brighton, as well as supporting bands including The Sherlocks and Trampolene and playing the main stage for Reading Pride, Charlie will be touring the UK with his upcoming tunes.