August 12, 2011 10:37

Hear Charlie Simpson's new album 'Young Pilgrim' on NME.COM

Stream the former Fightstar/Busted man's debut solo LP

Photo: Press

Charlie Simpson is releasing his solo album 'Young Pilgrim' on Monday (August 15) after all - and you can hear it now on NME.COM.

It had been feared that the record could be pushed back indefinitely after initial pressings were destroyed in the Sony DADC warehouse fire during the London riots on Monday. Contingency plans have been successful, but Simpson expressed his sympathy for other artists distributed through PIAS.

He told NME:

The Sony/PIAS warehouse fire was very frustrating. Campaigns are so intricately planned and we didn't think that we would be able to meet our release date. It's been an incredibly difficult week and I feel so sorry for PIAS, it's such bad news for indie labels.

The record, which you can listen to on the player below, marks a change of direction for the Fightstar frontman, who began his musical career in boyband Busted. he said: "I've always been a fan of 70s west coast American music and I grew up listening to 'Pet Sounds' and The Eagles, so my solo work is definitely influenced by that."

He added: "It is totally separate to my other musical ventures - it is very stripped down and acoustically focused. I have been writing acoustic stuff for years- ever since I first learnt to play the guitar when I was young".