If you deserve a good pop punk thrashing then Carb on Carb will be the best to administer it with their debut self-titled collection of upbeat emo punk rock. The two piece boy/girl team of James Stuteley and Nicole Gaffney deliver quite a positive style of emo punk where the energy and character of their vocals over the fast and practically funky rhythms really keep your blood flowing. With a healthy heart beat the tracks grind with relentless passion, full of Nicole’s high energy harmonic guitar strummed in rapid sync with James’ frenetic drumming, liberating a really dynamic burst of progressive new age punk.
Taking turns with lead vocals gives the album a nice variety, James and Nicole’s singing really wraps and bends around the fast beats providing a smoother tuneful flow to the crunchy guitars and drums. The subtle changes in tempo and drum styles mixed with either strummed or picked guitar keeps you attentive to the tunes progressions, showcased best in songs like Not Cute Anymore, People I Don’t Like and Smash. The song themes are set in the real world and don’t get too angry or dark, and with common place topics like People I Don’t Like there is a little something there for everyone.
Carb on Carb have delivered a great mix of old and new age emo punk rock, with its hypnotic rhythm and sparkly harmonics it’s a real trip worth taking.
Carb on Carb are James and Nicole from the North Island. They have toured consistently since their inception, around NZ, as well as internationally (Japan, Australia, USA, Singapore, China and Malaysia).