NEW VIDEO: Charlie Needs Braces 'Saltwater People' Video

Dance your way into the world of Charlie Needs Braces and connect with country and her family + Vinyl Pre-order Available Now + Performing St Kilda Festival

Earlier this month, multi-instrumentalist Charlie Needs Braces released the title track lifted from her forthcoming debut album Saltwater People out Friday 10 February. The brass filled single ‘Saltwater People’ celebrating GuriNgai Mob’s connection to Country and the importance of maintaining the balance of our ecosystem and waters. Now, proud GuriNgai woman Charlie is lifting  the veil on the accompanying video, the visualiser produced by Master Kapow, is equal parts playful as it is powerful showcasing further Charlie’s compelling storytelling.

Produced by Charlie and Master Kapow, the ‘Saltwater People’ video was created on GuriNgai Country, the lands running from the Central Coast of NSW along the mouth of the Deerabin-also known as the Hawkesbury river and into Northern Sydney. “We wanted a beautiful beach with caves and waves, the Grandmother tree at Kariong with the mob, big epic rocks, and tall native trees in the bush. We managed to find such beautiful spots and worked with the natural outdoor light each day, with the clouds and sun continuously moving. Instead of waiting for the perfect light or weather we decided to use the sun and clouds to make unusual and interesting shots” - Charlie Needs Braces. While exploring the music with lighthearted and lively dancing and sweeping landscape shots, the video holds the grief and vulnerability of Charlie’s family, after losing her Grandfather right before filming, and captures her female family tree: Grandmother, Mum, eldest sister, little sister.

“We were inspired by three story themes; Indigenous history, Landscapes always transforming and Female family lineage. So you'll see three aspects of the film, Charlie and Miri's connection and involvement in Aboriginal culture practices, connecting with GuriNgai Mob and we also wanted the film clip to capture striking visuals and represent meaningful imagery, which is why we flew to the very land Charlies indigenous ancestry lived for thousands of years” - Master Kapow

Like a river, the history of the GuriNgai people run through all the tracks on Charlie’s debut album Saltwater People; the language, the totems, the instruments, and more, opening with her welcome song Alla Indore and closing with Pride - a testament to Charlie’s grandmother’s trauma and hardship through the colonisation in Australia. Uncovering more stories with 2022 singles ‘Daryung’ and ‘Yanoo’ and title track ‘Saltwater People’, the material meanders through a magical snippet and improvisation of a Bunya Festival for ‘Bunya Interlude’, a celebration where local mobs meet to harvest the bunya nuts together. Charlie doesn’t steer clear of big topics, diving headfirst into ageism in the music industry for ‘Big Bully’ featuring Kesh Yoganathan from 'The No Ego Thing', and internet conspiracies in ‘Misinformation’, while using her loops and trumpet to tell tales of universal and human experiences of feeling trapped, inside a house or inside your mind for ‘Go to Sleep’ and ‘Meteor Shower’.

Get ready to immerse yourself in all things Charlie Needs Braces with this album Saltwater People; a collections of songs that will make you dance, stories to help you heal, and everything between. 

Saltwater People Video Credits:
Video by Master Kapow
featuring Charlie Woods on Vocals, Trumpet, and Loops
Miri Woods on Backing Vocals
Arthur Day on Yidaki
Michael Saxall on Percussion

Big thanks to Rebecca Hird-Fletcher, Janette Hird, Uncle Laurie and GuriNgai Mob, Creative Victoria, the Upstart Awards, Sarah and Erin from This Much Talent.

‘Saltwater People’ track was recorded in Naarm on Wurundjeri Country, and the video clip was filmed and performed on the land of the GuriNgai and Awabakal people.