Carpool revel in anthemic catharsis
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There are many bands who claim to push the boundaries of the “genre” box. Some prove a success, some fall flat. Rochester’s Carpool are most certainly the former. While the group, who have been releasing music with DIY label Acrobat Unstable Records since 2018, and have recently signed to SideOneDummy, are more often than not deemed “emo,” but while the band’s audacious, blunt lyricism fits the bill, the blanket of riffy, layered guitars and silvery backup vocals beg to differ. Carpool are defiant, both in subject matter, in construction — and in their raucous live sets. It’s smooth rock, vulnerable indie, and reckless punk all at once. Their debut album since signing to a new label, My Life in Subtitles (out March 22), has further refined this ethos of flexibility, and refusal to take the derivative route.
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Following “Can We Just Get High?,” a stellar example of vocalist/guitarist Stoph Colasanto’s ability to deliver careless spirit without sparing his vocal virtuosity, today, the band have brought us yet another sticky single. “Open Container Blues,” which features CLIFFDIVER’s Briana Wright, a friend the band made while touring the beloved Tulsa emo/pop-punk band last year. With this track to give audiences another taste of what’s to come, and their new LP on the horizon — as well as an undoubtedly big year of touring ahead — Carpool are certainly coming at 2024 strong.
AP sat down with Stoph Colasanto, vocalist/guitarist of Carpool, to discuss the new single, ABBA, and fingerless gloves.
Firstly, I am curious about what kind of music you listened to growing up.
I was heavily influenced by family. My mom’s favorite band is ABBA, and I grew up with her showing me disco, R&B, Irish folk music, and show tunes. My pops is a purist rock ’n’ roll head. He’s an encyclopedia when it comes to any band from the ’60s-’80s — he raised me on the Beatles and Depeche Mode, and to this day, we love driving around listening to Steely Dan together. My brother showed me ’90s music and gave me my first taste of bands that veered into a heavier realm: Incubus, Deftones, Third Eye Blind (deep cuts, not the radio singles), and Gin Blossoms. My sister showed me more pop-punk and indie-style music, like blink-182, Sum 41, Death Cab for Cutie, and Bon Iver. I really believe that this cornucopia of genres influenced the way I go about writing a song. I don’t think a song needs to stay inside the confines of a single genre.
How do you think the above made its way into the Carpool sound — if at all?
Growing up loving so many different genres really inspired me to try and cut and paste my favorite parts of genres into one song. I think a lot of that can be found in the dynamics between guitars, the tempo changes, key changes, and the different cadence of vocals used for specific sections of tracks.
What was your first show?
The first show I ever went to was with my pops at Darien Lake in Western New York — he took me to see Tom Petty, and I instantly knew I wanted to write songs. To this day, it’s one of the most impactful performances I’ve ever experienced. I got a guitar for my birthday after that show because I wanted to play so bad. But as is the case with most youngins — I never played it. Then in 2009, Manchester Orchestra dropped their second album, Mean Everything to Nothing. They played a show at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, New York to about 150-200 people. My good friend Pauly had been following them since their first record and told me and my older brother, Adam, and everyone’s best friend, Jake Tree, that we had to go to the show with him. None of us had ever heard of them besides Pauly. Not only did Manchester Orchestra become my favorite band for many years after that night, but Pauly and I immediately started the first band I’ve ever played in as soon as we left.
How did this band form?
Tommy and I were in a post-hardcore shoegaze band that had broken up. I went to college and was writing a bunch of songs, and Tommy was doing the same. When I came home from college, we got together and talked about how we wanted to start a new band where the main goal was for people to come to a show and have fun. We wanted it to be inclusive for all, and a cathartic experience for people to come to a safe space and just let loose. And so, Carpool was formed. We liked the name because it had two syllables — that’s as deep as that gets.
How has the sound evolved since the beginning?
In terms of sonically evolving, I think we just keep getting better. I’m not trying to sound cocky or anything, but if you come see us live, you’ll know what’s good.
Do you guys consider yourselves emo? How do you define that term, anyway? Did any of you have a real, Hot Topic emo phase?
I think we get bracketed a lot as an emo band. I honestly don’t know what I would classify us as. Probably emo. No… indie emo hardcore punk shoegaze alternative rock. I didn’t have a Hot Topic phase — obviously had a Zumiez phase, though — but I know that Tommy wore fingerless gloves from Hot Topic for a while back in the day.
This album has a lot of feeling, and a lot of levity, but there’s also so much depth, and the lyrics get heavy. What’s the writing process?
The writing process typically is me or Tommy bringing each other a song — whether it’s 100% done or half-baked — it doesn’t matter. We sit down together and go through the motions of, “What if we did this?” or, “Oh, I really like this — what if we put it right here?” Tommy’s so good at guitar and piecing together chords like a puzzle. In terms of lyrics — they come from three different places for me. I’ll either wake up with a melody and lyrics in my head and write it out, or I’ll sit down and write chords on a guitar, then freestyle lyrics and melodies about what’s going on in my life on a recorder and cherry-pick the best ones. Or I’ll cut and paste lines from poems I’ve written that fit the theme of the tune.
One of the main reasons I’ve always been drawn to this style of music, whatever you want to call it and the variations, emo, punk, hardcore, is because it’s cathartic, as an audience member. One of my earliest memories of that is with Green Day’s “Basket Case.” What’s the purpose of it for you? Of the music, performing, and the heaviness of the subject matter?
Exactly what you said. We do it because it’s cathartic. The best therapy to me is being able to get on a stage and sing (yell) these songs about how I feel. Sometimes it’s hard because the lyrics are extremely personal and heavy. But it’s like I said, it’s supposed to be a fun space to let loose in, and I think we do a really good job at mixing that happy vibe with darker, more serious subject matter.
What was it like working with Bri on the new single after touring with CLIFFDIVER?
It was a dream come true. CLIFFDIVER are not only some of the best musicians I’ve encountered, but they are hands down the sweetest and kindest people I’ve ever been lucky enough to meet. Bri is an inspiration to me. Talk to her for five minutes and you’ll be enthralled. It’s really just so cool being able to tour with your favorite bands, then wind up becoming best friends with them, and honestly, that’s my favorite part about this music scene. The overwhelming sense of community is so astounding. I’m lucky to know Bri, and even luckier to call her my friend, and the absolute luckiest that she collaborated on a song with us. And crushed it, too.
What’s the story behind that track?
The story behind “Open Container Blues” is how life is always two sides of the same damn coin. The grass is always greener, right? The hook is: “Everything I’m chasing is a dollar away.” I think this rings true with the way a lot of people feel. You’re always just a buck short and a minute late. You’ll never reach your goal and get what you want or what you need. But is the grass always greener? Because on the flip side of that proverbial coin, once you get what you wanted so bad, is it enough? Do you just want more? Is it not what you thought it would be? And this applies to anything. The song essentially tells a story about relationships, using substance as a vice, and feelings of financial inadequacy. But you can make it about whatever you want.
If you could work with anyone on a project, who would it be?
Olivia Rodrigo or Drake.
