Rochester emo-punks Carpool have launched pre-orders for their anticipated SideOneDummy debut My Life In Subtitles (due 3/22), and we’ve got an exclusive clear vinyl variant, limited to just 100 copies. Order yours now while they last!
Along with the pre-orders comes the album’s second single, “Open Container Blues,” which features a guest verse by Cliffdiver‘s Briana Wright. At five and a half minutes, it’s more sprawling and ambitious than the punchy lead single “Can We Just Get High?,” but no less immediate. This is just big, anthemic, emotional punk music and Carpool do it so well.
“‘Open Container Blues’ is a song about toxic relationships, money, and substance (a real 3 for 1!),” says vocalist/guitarist Stoph Colasanto. “Its hook relies on the premise that somehow the grass is always greener on the other side. ‘Everything I’m chasing is a dollar away’ is a very common school of thought. It’s similar to the old adage ‘another day another dollar,’ in the sense that we’re literally miserable toiling our lives away for that next best thing; but once you get it, you’ll want even more. Or on the other side of that very same coin – you’ll always be so close to your goal (want or need) and always be just a dollar short (or a second late).”
About Briana’s guest appearance, Stoph adds: “My favorite thing about playing music in this scene is the friendships that I’ve made along the way. One of the best friendships that has come out of us playing and touring has been with our cousins in Cliffdiver. All 876 of those cats mean the world and more to us (they have a lot of members haha). I sent Bri the track and asked if she wanted to sing the second verse, and lucky for us she said yes! Her voice is so good, it literally gives me chills every time i watch her or hear her perform. Gas up cousin, happy new year! Shout out Rochester New York.”
“Open Container Blues” comes with a Kevin Flanagan-directed video that was filmed on Carpool’s 2023 tour with Michael Cera Palin. Check that out below and pick up our exclusive vinyl variant in the BV shop.
For more on Carpool, the band also just did an interview with Alternative Press about formative music experiences, the new album, the catharsis of emo and punk, Olivia Rodrigo, and more.
Here’s a mock-up of the vinyl variant:
