Music Observer favourites Carpark have really been ramping things up over the past few months, with some great releases which hint to a shifting of direction - or perhaps more of an elevation. They've been coming in strongly with a kind of post-steam-punk/apocalyptic image, and the songs on the 'Born To Be Average' EP, their latest collection (do I dare to hope for an album later this year ...?) follow and continue that thematic development. I often return to their back catalogue, but this is by far their best work to date.
'MIA' opens the record. It's a great track (first released as a single in December 2023), starting with rapid-fire metallic guitars which get overtaken by thrummy grunge riffs and ambient background synths as the music develops into something of a sweeping soundscape. This song feels much more carefully and consciously planned and thought through than some of their previous releases - more polished and a new line in the sand. It's well chosen to introduce the EP which overall, as I said, presents the band in a newly-angled light.
The title track, 'Born to be Average' is a really interesting one. It's built around a slightly weird, squawky five-note motif, and is full of lots of lovely stops and starts - the effect is something sketchy and tricky and surprising. The guitars also sound slightly, very subtly, off-key and the filtered vocals also have a wobble. This all combines to create a clear image and atmosphere: that self-defacing (sic.), "I'm a loser baby", slacker vibe, at odds with the fact that the people performing the song are obviously very skilled. The song reaches an ending which is pure '90s pop-punk - a medium-length coda, slowing down unsubtly but pleasingly, with the lead guitar playing out ... and then the wryly spoken words, "I think I'm slightly above average".
'Happy on Mars' is a nice slow-down after the previous track. Here, Scottie's voice sounds delicate and smiley, but there's an edgy quality to it, too, as she delivers what could be taken as a putdown or equally an introspective self-analysis. Loda's great drumming bears it all up - she uses lots of snares and achieves highly dramatic impact; meanwhile, nice muted guitars fill in all the right gaps. We hit the chorus and it all turns half time - I think this is the key ingredient of a grungey ballad like this. To put the cherry on top of this lusciously-layered affair, the song plays out with a straightforward, short but really effective guitar solo from Hattie.
'Suburbs of Hell' arrives next. It's all a clever play on words; an anti-establishment song railing against the horrors of normality and middle of the road measures of success; a Stepford Wives diatribe for the 2020s, inspired by the best '90s garage rock. The song starts with a nice, long build, all very slow and subtle, but two minutes in we're reaching heights ... the flames are beginning to properly take hold. That fire flickers in with an explosion of gravelly guitar, like the grinding of gears, the bass guitar is uncompromisingly deep and slappy, and off-beat drums provide a uneasy energy.
There's a break down near the end with only vocals and soft bass left to speak to us, then - crash - we're back into it. This song packages up very neatly the kind of smooth grunge revival that Carpark do so well; it's a layer-cake of sound, and pleasantly over-blown at times, conjuring rock-epic vibes.
Track 5 is 'Blow Me Outta The Water'. This one is perhaps more varied and experimental than anything Carpark have done so far. The song is broken into lots of little themes or sections, the first part all rich, bass-heavy, solid riffs and a jerky and uncompromising rhythm, then into a smoother and more drawn-out, pure rock section. Scottie's vocals veer towards American pop-punk delivery, with heavily distorted backing vocals chipping in and a piercing, building lead guitar pushing through.
This is an EP from a band who have really settled into themselves - they've found their vibe and are going with it, and that kind of comfortable energy will pay off. It's no coincidence that Kerrang recently tweeted about their next gig ...
Carpark play their biggest headline show so far on 26 April at London's Moth Club - tickets are available via Dice.