Remember the Names Armed In Advance or Stitches? Perhaps
you should! This is one of my favourite local bands to come out of the New
Zealand rock scene in recent years.
Their founding member and lead singer is a man by the name of JP Carroll who is probably one of the most talented musicians I know.
Covid lockdowns have been extremely hard on everybody, but I’d like to think that some good has come of this in less political terms, and by far my favourite thing to come from it has been JP’s solo project band Arrays.
This morning is my first spin of Array’s new track Forget Fast, so let's get this tune on and let rip.
First impression? Filth! but of the best kind. It’s dark, it’s loud, it’s offensive, it’s dissonant. It’s PERFECT! JP throws down some dirty as hell detuned Korn style guitar chords, followed by JP’s signature screaming vocals blending metal over the top of what could almost described as a pop-rock tune, but still so very far from it. JP’s drums over the top of it aren’t half bad either, in fact they are as good as anything I’ve heard from international artists. It’s got a very cool feel to it, he’s picked the timing perfectly at mosh tempo. If I close my eyes, I visualize a venue like when I saw the foo’s play Auckland Town Hall and the entire floor jumping up in down in sync with that solid kick drum.
To make this even more impressive, I dare say that it’s all been produced and mixed by JP himself which makes everything so much more impressive. The whole track is so angry its almost off the charts. Somehow JP has managed to capture all of this anger, drip feed it into a cauldron containing a concoction of all his musical talents, and the end result, is a brand new track that you absolutely MUST listen to.
If you’re feeling mixed about what's happening in this cold dark world right now, grab this tune and give it a spin, because those emotions that you’re feeling ARE Forget Fast.
Arrays is the solo studio project of JP Carroll - the archetypal one man band. JP writes, performs and arranges the songs, records and produces the tracks, and even handles the mixes by himself. Music is his obsession, from writing a song, to mixing it and releasing it.
The new album Light Years is a tour de force of melodic, guitar heavy, metal-infused rock. This record is proudly independent, self produced and funded, and another way point on the journey JP is on to achieving the sound he hears in his head.
No Way Out presents a visceral, aggressive aspect of Arrays, driven by a palm muted riff, before the syncopated, stomping bridge lands. Little Blue Dot reveals a softer side, until the anthemic final chorus. Home is a twisted time capsule for our shared experience in lockdown, and the title track sets off the record with introspective lyrics and an arrangement big and wide enough to carry them.