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Carb On Carb - Single/Video Review: Man Says

14 Mar 2019 // A review by florencecohen

The accompanying vid for Carb on Carb’s latest emo single Man Says is intriguing, and yet I feel like I’ve seen it, and lived it, a few times before. An old dog made to try various hats, a bedroom filled with messy New Zealand stationary (the Warwick A5 makes an appearance), gluggy nail polish and Vans checked wristbands. Beyond the bright pink WordArt there was an underlying sadness – it felt like a Sticky TV makeover gone wrong.

Carb on Carb are making age-appropriate songs for themselves and their peer group, but their fan base extends far beyond just the teens in Auckland. Their latest single discusses the flatness, loneliness and extensive boredom teens face while growing up, and the lengths they’ll go to in order to change things up for a while.

There’s a real sadness in this song that shouldn’t be ignored, however cute the video is. If Carb on Carb are saying that their friends and other school kids they know are willing to change themselves to such an extent to pass time – surely this shouldn’t be ignored? We’ve all been teenagers (and we’ve all accidentally dyed our hair the wrong colour) but have we all prayed our accent would go away? Or our skin colour, sexuality or gender would change? It no longer sounds like teens acting out for the sake of acting out.

So, what can we learn from Man Says? Other than that, a dog looks adorable in pink sunnies and a sweatband, we have a lot of work to do with Kiwi youth. If the Auckland dream is to wait patiently until you leave high school, change your appearance and work in a vintage store, then our young people are not aiming high enough. Somewhere along the way we are letting them down, and perhaps, with teenage insight from Carb on Carb we’ll know where best to project that help. For now, enjoy the video for Man Says and have a bit of a jump around – sometimes a good dance makes all the difference.

Rating: ( 4 / 5 )
 

About Carb On Carb

Carb on Carb are a product of many places. In the band’s lifetime they have been based in 4 cities and played in at least 70. The band's first and self-titled album (2015) was “noisy and heartfelt, bridging the gap between 1990's emo bands like Rainer Maria and current counterparts like Waxahatchee” (Mess + Noise).

Relentless touring won over fans across Australasia and the band temporarily relocated to Australia in 2017. This time away drew the band’s focus back to home with their celebrated second album For Ages (2018); an extended love letter to NZ, with “soaring vocals, a guitar tone warm as a woollen blanket, mathy lead bits, ever changing dynamics and crash cymbals that wash over you like the ocean...as good an emo release as you will hear anywhere this year” (4ZZZ).

After few years back in Aotearoa and the inevitable covid-delay factor, their third and final album Take Time was released in early 2024; "a cathartic and strangely calming experience. I can’t really think of many albums that tackle the topic of time and aging with such fun, irreverence and heartfelt emotion. Take Time is a collection of powerful songs, performed beautifully and written with absolute honesty. It’s what albums should be – an expression of the artist without filter” (Muzic.net.nz).

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Carb On Carb

Releases

Take Time
Year: 2024
Type: Album
For Ages
Year: 2018
Type: Album
Carb On Carb
Year: 2015
Type: Album
Ladies Mile
Year: 2013
Type: EP
No Body Perfect
Year: 2012
Type: EP

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