By New Carnival, a Bristol-based indie four-piece, have released their latest single: ‘Temper / Temper’. New Carnival have only released a handful of songs since 2015, but they’re all classic indie gems – from 2015’s catchy, film-soundtrack-esque ‘Where Do You Wanna Go?’ to the 2017 (perhaps self-proclaimed…) tune that is ‘Solid Gold’.
Their latest single release, ‘Temper / Temper’, holds a steady melody and is a deceptively visual track; with the car metaphors throughout the track – references to ‘fast lane’ and ‘please take a back seat’. It’s easy to picture the single as your soundtrack to a nighttime drive: yellow tunnel lights flickering by, and the road passing by outside your window.
The song takes you through a range of dispositions: distraction, a ruinous temperament, and even shyness amongst others. With a repetitive verse structure, as lyrics gradually build up, the song is a cyclical roundabout (car metaphors…), with lyrics to match – they even ask ‘‘won’t someone tell me why I feel like I’m walking in circles?’
The steady melody of the song is entrancing, and you almost expect more from the build up to the chorus, but the song cycles back around once again. The guitar solo three minutes in is an unexpected divergence from the carousel, and a welcome ‘distraction’.
