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Local artist Tre. Charles’ new EP sparks timely convo around masculine vulnerability.
Durham-based singer-songwriter Tre. Charles isn’t afraid to be vulnerable. In fact, his new EP Currently., dropping April 26, is centered on bringing honesty and insight to the forefront of conversations around self-awareness, insecurity, mental health, masculine vulnerability and introspection—and challenging the status quo surrounding those topics.
Despite drifting through careers without a sense of true purpose, the high school chorus singer has always loved music—but never took it seriously. That was until an unfortunate car accident damaged his knee and forced him to think about the next bar—er, chapter—in his life.
“They said I wasn’t going to be able to walk again,” recalls Charles, who first picked up the guitar in college. “I wasn’t able to move; I had to do physical therapy. For the most part, I was just teaching myself guitar and trying to get better at it.”
Finding his forte, Charles dedicated himself to music full-time, releasing his first single, “Stressin.,” in 2021. Through simplistic yet powerful lyrics and emotive crooning, he reflects on the personal and social struggles he’s experienced throughout his life as a young Black man in America, as well as the isolation many felt during the pandemic.
“Lately.,” the first single off his new album, dives deeper into the realm of mental health by “addressing the overwhelmingness of today’s social media landscape and the constraints of overthinking,” he says. Relatable, indeed.
Those honest and powerful lyrics paired with Charles’ self-described alt indie soul sound—think Frank Ocean meets Hozier, he says—make Currently. a must-listen.
“I hope listeners can feel heard and seen—and [I hope to] challenge their perspective,” he says of experiencing the album—“kind of like continuing on with this new renaissance, specifically with Black men talking about their emotions and going to therapy and doing the work to try to be better.” trecharles.com
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