We have waited a long, long time for this… but FINALLY I am really excited to welcome back Long Branch, New Jersey natives and punk band, The Carousers. It feels like just yesterday the four of us were attending college over at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jerseys when I watched this band form right before my very eyes. From singles like, “She’s the Devil” to their now long awaited NEW single, “Valentine’s Day,” released TODAY on no day other than February 14, 2022 Valentine’s Day itself. I was so lucky the band shared this single a little early with me and took the time to discuss it in the interview below. I’ve always been genuinely a big fan of their music and honestly, this is probably my favorite single of theirs to this date. Also, I am a sucker for a good love song and they make it a point in this song to say that when you’re truly in love, every day is Valentine’s Day. I am excited to share my discussion with The Carousers about their new single in five years, “Valentine’s Day” and what other things they have planned in 2022.
- First, I just wanted to say hey guys! I couldn’t be more excited to finally see The Carousers back in action. We last spoke back in 2018 and I know a lot in the world has changed, how have you guys been since then?
Andy: I know, it’s been way too long! These past few years have been really strange, I think that goes without saying. Thankfully we’ve all been staying safe and healthy, except for getting sick with the occasional case of COVID. But being vaccinated, we bounced back quickly and started writing some new material once again.
- I’m really excited to talk to you guys about your BRAND new single, “Valentine.” I have already listened to it a couple times and I LOVE IT. This might actually be my new favorite Carousers song. What is this song about?
Joey: This one’s a sappy love song about my girlfriend and how she makes me a better version of myself. As a songwriter, I’ve only written about heartbreak and depression haha. It’s nice to finally have a happy song in our catalog!
- I think the second verse stands out the most to me. I love the lyrics, “Driving all night long with Green Day sing alongs, she’s my valentine. Gordon Ramsey memes and all the Twin Peaks, she’s my valentine.” This really made the song sound personal to me, which is a standout in this genre. Very storyteller (and adorable). Is this style of writing something listeners can expect in other new The Carousers music?
Joey: Absolutely! Storytelling is something I’ve been trying to get better at as a writer over the years and especially during The Carousers’ long hiatus. It’s almost like poetry in a way and can totally take your song to a new level. I’m excited to keep it up for more tunes that are in the pipeline!
- Where did you guys record the song and what was the recording process like for “Valentine?”
Cass: We actually recorded everything ourselves in our practice space. We essentially built a blanket fort to record drums in, which honestly ended up working great. The whole process took a while, and was a learning experience for sure, but I’m super proud of how everything came out. The song was mixed by Craig Smith and mastered by Rob Chiarappa, and they really made it sound awesome!
Joey: Cass killed it on the recording end! Doing it like this was super fun too since we weren’t time pressured in a studio or anything. It definitely gives us the option to do this again moving forward.
- Is this song part of a bigger project, or just a single release? Is that something you can tell the Myze readers?
Cass: We can’t officially say what’s coming and when, but there is definitely new music from The Carousers coming soon! 2022 is going to be a fun year for us. You know we will keep you posted!
- You guys also have a song titled, “Halloween Night”… So let me ask you guys this question… Which do you prefer, Halloween, or Valentine’s Day?
Andy: Believe it or not, these two holidays are actually our least favorite. As a band, we hope to one day write a song for each of the major holidays, and we wanted to save the good ones for last. By 2024, we hope to release “Groundhog Day,” our personal favorite of the bunch.
- Since it’s been a while since you guys released new music, it’s also been a while since you guys have played any live shows. Times are also a little different now since the pandemic began. Are you guys looking to play a live show anytime soon?
Cass: We actually talked about this a little while ago, and we can’t wait to get back to gigging. We’re hoping to start playing live when conditions are safer, but as of right now we don’t have any upcoming shows to promote. Really hoping to be able to play soon though!
- Are there any particular goals The Carousers are looking to achieve in 2022?
Joey: For me, I’d love to have us do some weekenders out of state. We’ve only played in NJ mostly – Philly a few times. It’s definitely well overdue and something I’d like to experience as a band. I know we have fans we’ve never met on the east coast as well, so it’d be cool to branch out.
Cass: I agree, I’d love to be able to do some weekender tours. Also, would really like to play at Starland Ballroom or somewhere similar, opening for a bigger band!
Andy: Aside from live shows, I’m really hoping to keep writing new material too. This single will be our first release in a while, and we’re trying to keep that momentum going!
- When people listen to “Valentine,” what are you hoping they get out of it?
Joey: I hope people can relate with how they feel about their significant other! Valentine’s Day is cool and all, but I feel like a pretty lucky guy the other 364 days of the year too.
- Any “local” bands you guys would like to give a shout out to?
Joey: I’ve been a big fan of the latest Latewaves record that was released last year, so shout out to those guys for releasing a dope album! Beauty put out a cool single recently too. Those dudes are great.
Cass: I’ve been liking Teenage Halloween, they put out a rad split with The Homeless Gospel Choir this year. Also, our buds in Tula Vera are always doing cool things.
Andy: I’m gonna take this opportunity to plug a couple of my other projects, namely Smooch and Rachel Ana Dobken, both based out of Asbury Park. Some friends of ours in Society Hill have also been killing it recently, and released their first full length a few months back.
- Last but not least, where can everyone find your new single, “Valentine?”
Joey: Everywhere, I hope? Haha. I know for certain all the big DSPs like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc. Hopefully Distrokid is doing its job. We’ll definitely have it up on Bandcamp too for all the indie folk.
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