Fun is big for touring emo-punk rockers Carb on Carb at the mo, which bodes well for their first Dunedin gig since 2017.
The way drummer and backing vocalist James Stuteley tells the story, it’s something of a rediscovery and, given recent history, you know Covid is going to feature in that narrative.
It’s not the whole story though.
Carb on Carb, the originally Te Whanganui-ā-Tara (Wellington) now Whanganui-based two-piece, are touring behind their new single Grounded, which has all the guitar licks, melodies, harmonies, hooks and drum kicks that first built the band’s considerable fan base.
But asked what’s different about this latest output, Stuteley says he thinks the accent’s been more explicitly on fun.
"I think with the earlier stuff we were struggling to make exactly the songs we wanted to make. And then with the second [album] we got there and now with this one we can just have more fun, come out with something that sounds exactly what we wanted it to".
That confidence has meant not overthinking the material, preserving the simplicity of a song, he says.
"We have definitely slowed down since the first album, in terms of tempo, and I think that is just that we have less to prove and don’t feel like we have to be hyper energetic to put on a good show.
"We are not trying to prove we can play fast or write a good song. We know we can do those so we let the song be the best song it can be."
But long-term admirers need not fret: Stuteley says their music still poses a mortal threat to frontwoman Nicole Gaffney’s guitar strings.
"All of this stuff we are talking about has lots of guitars played loud."
It’s still emo, he says, reassuringly. Further proof of which will arrive later in the year when the new album drops.
As usual, it will be just the two of them on stage in Dunedin, at new venue Yours, plus a little gadgetry to split the guitar between guitar and bass amps "so it sounds nice and full".
Covid’s a big part of the reason Carb on Carb has been quieter than usual, as far as touring goes, in recent years. The pair were caught up in Auckland’s seemingly endless round of extended lockdowns. That’s the "grounded" Gaffney’s singing about in Grounded: "I’m hiding /I’m grounded /Becoming /Completely unhinged", she sings.
"It was written in the depths of that long Auckland lockdown, the 100 days or whatever, about being on pause and out of your control," Stuteley confirms.
But it doesn’t sound like the pandemic slowed either of them down too much.
Stuteley used the time to record two EPs of music in te reo Māori, with his equally hard-striding side project How Get.
The second one is better, he says.
"The first EP was really hard work and then the second one was just really fun to write in te reo. And it was a good thing for Covid times because it was mostly about the writing."
Writing in te reo opened a whole new world of metaphors and lyrical imagery to play with, he says.
The music has had a live outing but is now on the backburner while Carb on Carb resumes centre-stage.
Away from the spotlight, Gaffney’s been using her time to train the attention on others via Girls Rock Aotearoa, which delivers holiday programmes for young women, trans, intersex, takatāpui and gender-diverse young people where they get to turn up the volume and the empowerment at the same time.
The current Carb on Carb tour has taken in Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North and Christchurch to date, and Stuteley says it feels great to be on the road again — even if there was some trepidation after so long away: "Not even knowing if we would be able to do it well any more."
But those concerns are well and truly in the rear-mirror. Touring ticks a lot of boxes, Stuteley says.
"There are quite a few things we love about it. There is driving around the country and seeing beautiful scenery. The tourism part of it. Also keeping in touch with friends who are spread out all across New Zealand and Australia as well. And also, there is something about going somewhere with a bunch of strangers and everyone is there to enjoy themselves. That breaks down a lot of barriers, so it is easy to make friends and engage with people who have totally different lives, which is quite magic, I think.
"And it is the most fun way to play music because when you are doing it a lot you get better at it and that makes the shows more fun. You perform better. It is much harder to play a good show when you are only playing every three weeks, or something, compared to playing a bunch in a row — and it feels really natural.
"By the end of it you don’t have to think about it."
The gig
- Carb on Carb play Yours, Moray Pl, Dunedin, tonight from 8pm. Supports Dale Kerrigan and Riot Gull.
