CARPOOL TUNNEL 'Bloom'

BY ROBIN MUMFORD OF THE INDIE PLUG

A few swipes on Vampr later, a musical alternative to Tinder, and Carpool Tunnel are a match made in heaven. It isn’t exactly the habitual way of forming a band, but it sure has functioned delightfully for these four spiritually curious souls. Labelled with a quote, “Like a flower, you too shall bloom,” the San Francisco based indie rock band have articulated a debut album that depicts the thoughts of many, looking to escape reality, leaving behind the rat race.

Carpool Tunnel’s journey really ‘bloomed’ when they made the dauntless decision to move in together, hire a campervan, and perform live gigs across the west coast. Their dreamy guitar riffs, entwined with summer aesthetics and fleeting lyrics, is characterised by their open road personalities, promising to improve the mood of listeners from the USA, as well as reaching out to influences from far across the pond.

“Dear, are you dreamin’ still?
Lullabies got us high, now we’re ill.”

These are the words that still resonate with us after listening to the album, capsulising the cosmetic makeup of the release. ‘Dreaming Still’ is up there with the best that the band have to offer. Though it does follow the cliché story of love, the track tackles the notion of the narrator who is losing someone they love through a lack of hope. Instead, the love interest’s outlook on life is ‘sinking.’ However, it is a meaning that you will only uncover by scratching the surface of what is mostly a positive release, soaked in San Francisco sun.

It is so difficult to capture the sunny sounds of western USA, but Carpool Tunnel have done it so well, grooving and weaving their way through the 60s, into the 70s, and out into the modern era. ‘Impressions’ is a just way of proving that statement, as the track gleams of SoCal sun and surf, drawing influences from Red Hot Chilli Peppers and other well-known California rock bands.

‘Bloom’ is an album characterised by San Francisco’s waves of summery aesthetics and upbeat motifs, brought to surface by the wonderfully enshrined Carpool Tunnel. It is a release that sets in stone our desires for a long summer of freedom, following the torrid times that has bereft us of positivity. Sun, sea, and beer gardens are on the horizon, let ‘Bloom’ take you on a journey to the near future ****.

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