New Music

Emmett Carroll - Carrington 'Optimistic But Realistic'

May 24, 2019

4 min read

Perth pop/punk band Carrington are releasing their debut EP Alter-Ego today (our review HERE), so we sat down with frontman Emmett Carroll to uncover their inspirations and story behind the EP title that is Alter-Ego. Oh, and we also had some fun along the way. Read on...

Happy Alter-Ego Release Day! You guys must be stoked!

Thank you! It’s really the first time where we knuckled down and done something to the best of our ability. We’re excited to hear what people have to say about it and get it out to the public.

Who were you guys inspired by and listening to during the writing and recording process of Alter-Ego?

As a band we all listen to really different music, but personally I’m always inspired by Trashboat, The Story So Farand other new wave pop/punk bands. But I also listen to a lot of heavier music, and I guess we just wanted to create something that encompassed all of what we listened to. We wanted to have like a "big box of chocolates" kind of EP that people can take what they like from it.

What was the process like when writing 'Interesting Places', which kinda goes on a more serious and different tangent and deals with the loss of someone close to you?

I wrote most of Alter-Ego on an acoustic guitar, showed the guys and we kinda just picked through what we liked. 'Interesting Places' was a bit different in the sense that Chris had a riff and that basically spawned the rest of the song. I think that’s why the song is so different from anything else on the EP. Lyrically, it’s an interesting and difficult point where my family was dealing with the grief of my uncle having been diagnosed with terminal cancer. So seeing that all unfold and the effect it had on my dad was kinda a way of me explaining my feelings towards that and my grief.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KQdf6y8ycs&w=640&h=360]

One of my favourite songs on the EP is ‘Neon’. Where did the inspiration come about for that one?

Lyrically, it’s a bit of a reflection on my later teenage years, falling out of friendships and wanting to keep it going but you've also gotta understand that sometimes people are better off without you. Musically, we just wanted to make it exciting and fun to listen to, dynamically.

And speaking of Alter-Egos, who would be your alter ego?

Oh wow! That’s a hard one! To be honest, the title was a bit of a reflection of the music on the EP itself. As a band we can have very polar musical tastes. I’d have to go with Gandalf (Lord of the Rings)

So you’re like the leader?

Ohhhh..maybe more the wise one. I try to keep things fair.

You've played shows with Trapt and Real Friends already. But what’s been the band’s most memorable show to date, so far?

The first all-ages show we played was really memorable. We’ve played heaps of bar gigs, but the first time we played an all-ages show, it was like a dress-up gig. All the bands had to dress up in a theme. One band dressed in Hawaiian shirts, another dressed up as Power Rangers, and we decided to dress up as Russell Coight, which was really fun! The energy in an all-ages crowd is very different, so it was an awesome experience. The kids just got into the show more. They don’t care as much as what people think of them.

Your drummer (Jordan) self-directed the music video for '44 Days'. What other secret talents are you guys hiding?

We all kind of do a lot of different stuff. Zach’s an extremely smart guy, he’s a chemical engineer. Chris is the strong, weightlifter kinda guy, I produced and recorded the whole EP, and Blake, well...he doesn’t have any special talents!

In the next 12 months, what would you like to see Carrington achieve?

It’s such an interesting industry, I feel like there’s no formula and every time you think there is, something else happens that changes the game. I think the fact that streaming services have kinda taken over the market means that live performances are such a necessary asset for bands to make a living. I’d like to see us getting out playing shows in other cities, like out east. We’re optimistic, but also realistic about it.

That’s the best way to be!

Interview by Tamara May (@citylightsTAM)

Alter-Ego is out now.