ALBUM REVIEW: CHARLOTTE SANDS - SATELLITE (06/03/26)

With her distinct blue hair and a Y2K meets modern alt edge, Charlotte Sands has become a fearless force in alt-pop. On her sophomore album, SATELLITE, she sharpens her genre-blurring sound into soaring, diaristic anthems built for cathartic, sold-out show singalongs that feel intensely personal yet universal.

When the album was announced, Charlotte let us know how personal an album it was. “‘Satellite’ was born from a search for meaning, identity, and self worth,” she said. “It’s a collection of moments from the last two years of my life - the highs and lows, the joy and the grief. It’s about drifting, discovering, questioning your purpose, and learning to trust the quiet pull that brings you back to yourself.”

And so begins the bold, high-energy world of SATELLITE.

The album opens with the title track ‘Satellite’, two minutes and 36 seconds of pure perfection. With those signature vocals on display with a somewhat eerie backdrop, it carefully builds the anticipation for what to expect from this collection of songs wrapped up as an album. As ‘satellite’ closes, it leads into ‘one eye open’ and listeners are immediately confronted with the distinct possibility that the listening experience will get better with each track.

When ‘one eye open’ was released as a single late last year, listeners were promised a track that showcases Charlotte's mix of emotional intensity and arena-ready hooks. It did not disappoint.  Opening with ghostly vocals before detonating into metal-laced percussion, the track pairs explosive energy with stark vulnerability.

Charlotte channels emotional intensity and hook-driven choruses as she confronts the realisation that love shouldn’t feel like survival. Alt-synth verses give way to raw, soaring refrains, balancing confession and intrigue, while ‘one eye open’ nods to the darker hues of Holly Humberstone with the drama of Evanescence.

“‘one eye open’ is about learning that love isn’t supposed to feel like survival,” Charlotte told fans. “It’s the realisation you’ve been mistaking control for care and the breaking point that forces you to remove yourself from their grip and remember who you were before they made you doubt it. This song is about taking your power back and choosing your own peace over their chaos. I hope it gives you the strength to put yourself first and serves as a reminder of just how capable you really are.”

This leads us nicely into the song ‘HUSH’, which finds the alt-pop firebrand at her most defiant, fusing glossy electronic pop with her rock grit. Driven by a pulsing beat and infectious hook, she shrugs off overthinking in favour of one carefree night, snapping, “Can’t we just shut up for one night?” Built for both mosh pits and dance floors, the track captures her knack for seamlessly merging pop instincts with punchy instrumentation and vibrant, commanding vocals.

Previously, Charlotte shared her excitement about this single’s release on social media, writing, “I am so happy for this song to be out & I hope wherever you are in the world you are jumping around and screaming the words with me.” This is definitely one to scream along to alone in your room or at a show in unison with the crowd, either way, it's the perfect catharsis.

By the time the record gets to ‘half alive’, it’s been a baptism of fire in the sense that every song feels like a hit and it’s not even halfway through, the songs keep coming one banger after another.

“It’s about a connection so deep it feels eternal, like your souls have met a thousand times before, in every universe and across every timeline,” Charlotte shares about the next track, ‘Afterlife’. “It’s about the rare and beautiful certainty that no matter what this lifetime holds, you’ll always find your way back to each other again - in the next life, and in every one after that.”

Both euphoric and haunting, ‘Afterlife’ finds Charlotte exploring a love that transcends time. Blending alt-rock with dark pop sheen, the track surges forward on soaring hooks, fiery production, and raw emotional intensity. It opens with her commanding vocals and muted guitar before blooming into a full-bodied chorus of crashing drums and electric guitar. A bass-heavy verse shifts unexpectedly into a melodic, rap-tinged flow, spotlighting her poetic lyricism and versatility.

The dynamic structure of the track keeps listeners on edge as amazing vocals elevate the post-chorus, showcasing her impressive range. Bittersweet yet anthemic, ‘Afterlife’ balances sensitivity with power, cementing its place as a standout in her discography and a testament to her fearless songwriting and magnetic vocal presence.

Another great track that will be familiar to anyone who has been paying attention to the single releases is ‘back to you’, where Charlotte strikes a balance between raw angst and poetic candour. A hushed opening swells into a freeing chorus, capturing the ache of instinct versus desire, of recognising every red flag and running toward them anyway.

According to Charlotte, the track is about the gravity of a toxic cycle: “It’s about how easy it is to lose yourself in someone else’s orbit. Every excuse and ‘what if’ just pulls you back to the same spot. It’s that loop you fall into when you mistake warning signs for butterflies.

The album’s undeniable standout arrives in ‘neckdeep,’ arguably Charlotte at her most incisive and explosive. Centred on the sting of loving someone who swore they were “neck deep” while edging toward the exit, the track thrives on chaos and clarity in equal measure. “It’s okay, I’m okay, I don’t mind, I’m only dying inside,” she snarls, the razor-sharp delivery turning sarcasm into a gut punch.

Sonically, bratty hyperpop flourishes collide with brooding alt-rock and surging pop-punk hooks. A brief pullback in the second verse spotlights her gritty, controlled vocals before the chorus detonates again. Unfiltered and ferocious, “neckdeep” isn’t just a highlight, it’s the album’s emotional apex, built to be screamed at full volume.

After ‘neckdeep’ listeners may have earned a more mellow moment, which is handed to them in the form of ‘water me down’, giving the undoubtedly already captivated audience a minute to recover. The track is like the tide going out gently, returning to where it came from. No longer lapping at your feet in the sand, it drifts off and then ends abruptly, before the record picks back up again with ‘None of My Business’.

‘None of My Business’ sees Charlotte lean fully into her cheeky, eye-rolling lyrical attitude, serving razor sharp lines with a wink. Fueled by catchy, dance inducing production and punchy pop-rock, the track feels built for blasting with the windows down. It carries the snappy bite of a bold Olivia Rodrigo anthem, while channelling the rebellious, early-2000s spark of Avril Lavigne at her most infectious.

Almost as quickly as it started, the album is over and the last track, ‘Sunday’, is spinning. It’s always a good sign when you didn’t realise you are at the end already during a playthrough, it means at no point did the record lag in any way.

The record as a whole is a great listen from start to finish, each track is perfectly placed and it really works as a cohesive body of work that is possibly her most ambitious project yet. It’s amazing to hear Charlotte push her alt-pop sound even further than ever, weaving together soaring melodies, razor-sharp lyrics, and punchy production.

It’s clear she has an amazing future in the industry, having done so much in the last few years, from touring with legends like My Chemical Romance to headlining her own global shows in 2024, she isn’t slowing down. The album is so packed full of great songs that fans and new listeners alike will be well advised to catch her bringing that electric energy to Europe in 2026 as she joins Simple Plan on the road.

SATELLITE out now via CS Records.