carolesdaughter 'Effortless Emo Prowess'
carolesdaughter (born as Thea Taylor) is the epitome of the alternative/emo aesthetic in 2022. Surging into the new wave emo/pop scene way almost twelve months ago via TikTok with her debut track 'Violent', her metaphoric rise to prominence is staggering. In the lead-up to her debut EP offering, Please Put Me in a Medically Induced Coma, the 19-year-old singer has seemingly made an impression with the right people and landed an opening slot on Machine Gun Kelly's most recent US tour, as well as upcoming festivals for the UK's Reading & Leeds. You may also recognise her as the emo girl who features in that 'emo girl' music video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh_ydvIJAxg
Aside from teaming up with mainstream pop punk's biggest icon at the moment though, carolesdaughter is here to truly stand on her own, especially with her latest EP. In comparison to her earlier material, these songs are an intriguing listen for fans of alt/pop and bystanders alike. Through the light-hearted guitar tones and awkwardly catchy lyrics, you can sense a new level of optimism from the coming-of-age teen as she embarks down a renewed path in her life:
"It's the time where I kind of came of age. All the songs are from a point in my life, where I was completely figuring out who I was, what I wanted to do, and how I was going to proceed coming out of treatment and rehab. These songs, you know, were my direction and I always knew I wanted to do music. I had a plan, and I had the songs. I got this. Then I went home and just made it."
Diving into these songs myself, I really felt pulled to connect Thea's music to that of fashion/film icon Audrey Hepburn. Yeah, she's young and has the short hair, and much like the British actress, carolesdaughter carries herself nonchalantly, with the effortless confidence that's kind of easy to vibe with:
"Yeah, she was my style inspiration but not really because I mean, look at me. When I was little, I always had really short hair, and Audrey Hepburn, she had short hair. So that was kind of cute. But actually, 'Audrey' was the real name of the dancer which the song was inspired by. I don't know if it was her real name or her dancer name."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvfEygHzL9s
While the song 'Audrey' actually has nothing to do with Hepburn, the mellowed-out acoustics help to encapsulate the overall release and acts as the EP's unofficial leading track. It's songs like this and the EP closer 'Cold Bathroom Floor' that catches the musician in her truest, most vulnerable self, her and her guitar:
"'Cold Bathroom Floor' is a song that's really near to my heart. It's really, really sad. While I don't feel like that all the time anymore, it was just a really raw moment for me. It was just exactly how I felt at the time. There was a demo of it on my SoundCloud for the last year, so it was important to me that I make a polished version. But not too polished. I recorded both the guitar and my voice at the same time. Because that's always how I would play it."
Throw back to our first chat with carolesdaughter where she discussed her heavy music inspirations lie in punk and metal bands like Motionless in White and Black Flag. Which is probably the last band you'd hear from smooth emo-pop jams like the aforementioned and 'Trailor Trash'. While lyrically her music is all pulled from personal experiences, her creative juices are sparked by the late Elliott Smith. She even used his old guitar to record 'Cold Bathroom Floor'! What a cool feat for a young rising star who cleverly names songs like 'Dead Boy (In My Room)' and 'Please Put Me In A Medically Induced Coma'.
With new music officially born upon the world, carolesdaughter's tour calendar is filling up at an alarmingly fast rate. The teenager is about to embark on her first bunch of tours outside the USA (without her parents), one of which includes Australia's newly announced Full Tilt Festival: the July edition. Alongside checking out Australian cuisine (she confesses: "I love food and I'm just so excited to try other countries' food. Australia, you better bring the good food, like let's go!"), she is absolutely pumped to play her tunes to heavy music fans down under for the first time, alongside some of her favourite acts PVRIS, The Ghost Inside and Ice Nine Kills:
"I've heard Ice Nine Kills live shows are very very fun to watch. I used to do a little theater and acting here and there. If they wanted me to do like, a crazy little cameo, sure why not? That would be cool. I'll do anything. I'm down!"
As for what fans can expect when carolesdaughter debuts on Aussie stages this July, well, don't expect to be bored. Remember when Poppy wowed us during Good Things Festival 2019? Yeah, I think this set will give off a similar vibe. Despite the stacked AF calendar this year with tours and even more new music on the way, Thea still hopes she'll have a few days at home to catch up on life, friends and doing what we all love to do — getting new tattoos:
"It's my goal this year to pretty much put out a song every two months or less. That would be my goal, but you know how things go. I have a lot of touring coming up and festivals. It's kind of crazy how much I'm doing and I hope that I have time to come home in between, get new tattoos and see my friends."
Interview by Tamara May @citylightstam
carolsdaughter's new EP, Put Me in a Medically Induced Coma is out now. Listen here
carolsdaughter - Put Me in a Medically Induced Coma EP tracklisting:
1. Put Me in a Medically Induced Coma
2. My Mother Wants Me Dead
3. Trailer Trash
4. Dead Boy (In My Room)
5. Target Practice
6. Audrey
7. Cold Bathroom Floor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXNsClpAfUs
