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Single Premiere: Carousel Club Elevate Their Psych-Pop Impulses on the Groove-Heavy "Old Boy"
After their triumphant return last fall with "Calling You," the Melbourne guitar pop quintet Carousel Club return today with the new single "Old Boy," expanding upon their sun-drenched indie pop with familiar warm synths and a laser-focused rhythm.
Forming in 2017 from what began as a group of friends, the Melbourne-based guitar pop band, Carousel Club, are entering the next stage of their career after signing to the newly founded indie label, Squinked Records (MOZË, Bellhop). After returning last fall with the blissful haze of "Calling You," their first new release since 2019, the quintet are back with a new treat called "Old Boy." While the band keeps it cool over a driving beat, the new track leans heavier into their silky psych-pop styling that was created in collaboration with longtime producer, Michael Belsar, back in July, before Melbourne entered its sixth COVID-lockdown.
Speaking with the band through email, they said "Old Boy" was developed after being inspired by a bassline in an old Caribou track mixed with the enduring glam and unforgettable pop melodies of T-Rex. "'Old Boy' came about quite naturally," the band wrote via email. "We had one idea that snowballed and then what formed into the end result from throwing ideas around with our producer. We felt so incredibly lucky to be able to jump back into Aviary Studio in Abbotsford, with the masterful Micheal Belsar who also recorded, mixed and mastered our previous single. We were also lucky enough to be joined by Peter Simonsen of Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird to do some guest vocals on the track and his falsetto just took 'Old Boy' to a whole new level."
The new single reflects a painful period of uncertainty and anxiety caused by isolation of the lockdowns. "While 'Calling You,' was about reaching out for help when you need it to the ones around you who love you, 'Old Boy' is about the process of time in how we deal with pain. The underlining message relates to the last couple years and how hard they have been on a lot of people if not all people in one way or another. People don't remember how to have fun, they feel lost, socially awkward, and scared with no sign of light in sight. Things get better through support and time. Music's coming back, we can hang with our friends again, in time we'll forget about the past couple years and we will think. So "I guess it's true old boy, time will set you free."
Now with a pair of singles under their belt, the band said they're currently working towards these tracks being part of a bigger project. "We haven't really worked out what that will look like yet, but we've been in and out of the studio quite regularly since the start of the year, even set up a home studio in Mat's place where we've been working with heaps of talented friends, so it's been busy! Watch this space though — there's so much unheard Carousel Club lurking around that we are dying to share.
To celebrate the new single, the band will also being throwing a launch show at Stay Gold in Brunswick on Saturday alongside Fancy Face and Oceans. "Aside from having the ability to play a show without any capacity restrictions, we're really looking forward to seeing the legends Fancy Face and Oceans play! Also, just the feeling of being able to freely release the music we sporadically recorded through the small breaks in restrictions is very exciting."
Purchase tickets to the upcoming single launch here.