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Introducing: caroline

Rough Trades’ latest signee, ‘caroline’, are an eight piece, post rock outfit from London who create movements over songs. They spend time experimenting with audio territory. To the extent of recording music in empty pools for a video project of theirs. I wouldn’t
be surprised if they pulled a Brian Eno, and did a collaborative album named ‘Music For Pools’.

Their debut single, ‘Dark blue’, features some distant violins smothered in reverb, causing a haas effect to the ear. These are later built upon with some guitar patterns straight out of the Slint playbook. Built onto this are some atmospheric drums, dissonant violins and sparse vocals. caroline really excels in using effects to bring this full circle, reversing and manipulating the track in its course. It is supported by a visually pleasing music video directed by the group themselves. Another track (unreleased out of a live setting), ‘Skydiving onto the library roof’, is like Dark Blue’s counterpart in structure, but this time becomes heavier. Some off kilter
drums flicker in and out of the track, giving it a punky fury. It has a greater focus on a mesmerizing chello line, scintillating guitars and irish tradition like vocals.

And although they have sparse material, the group keeps getting better. Over lockdown, I fell head over heels for a soundscape they aired on resonance FM. Full of ambitious ideas. Even at one point incorporating a car alarm into the piece. This can be found on
resonance FM’s mixcloud, and I highly recommend it. If that was the album i’d be thoroughly impressed. Yet they tell us it’s merely a collection of ideas. In the short time of their formation, caroline have gained fans from the members of Black Midi, Georgia and Pottery, and this is bound to increase over time.


For fans of: Explosions In The Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Late 90s Swans

Photo Credit: Chan Kim