CARSEX take punk rock to another level on their new ‘Human Interest’ EP. With seven songs that border on everything from punk to classic hard rock and even some metal-minded material, this one goes the distance. They take from the old and the new L.A./Orange County music scene and blend it very well into a modern day masterpiece. This band give the goods up at every turn on one great song after another, with divebombing guitars, pounding drums and screaming vocals. And CARSEX are true to their roots, as if the movie Repo Man were made today and they’d surely be on the soundtrack.
“Sitting Ducks” opens ‘Human Interest’ with an eerie guitar line and some thrashing percussion, behind the rebellious vocals making it probably the purest punk song on the whole disc. It plays out well in several directions to bring something appealing for everyone. This is also exemplified by the next song’s contrasting style, “Crooked Canvas”; which is a driving punk-tinged track that is an audio sledgehammer that pummels you from the outset and never slows down or eases up. The energy keeps getting better with each passing song and sets up the rest of “Human Interest” nicely.
The standout track “Beyond The Trees” takes the mood in another direction, with an almost soulful vibe and lots of guitars – it’s the most mainstream track on the EP. This is a song that has it all, and according to the lead singer it was “written on a barf bag in 10 minutes.” You can’t make that up – but they did, and sometimes the most magic comes out of nowhere and a good song is born. The whole thing bubbles along nicely with great beat and is a refreshing change-up in styles.
The flow goes back into overdrive with an anthem of angst, “Fuck This”. This song is a smack in the ears (and the brain), and is another standout track for it’s lyrical sentiment, and well as the gale force wind of anger that comes at you. There is no mistaking a title when it’s placed in the chorus and the song starts out with it, and this one cuts right through the noise with a wall of guitars and an overall big, pounding sound. It’s an undeniable statement song, and ties into the rest of the EP seamlessly.
“Landmine” is the focus track, with a video directed by Chris Michael. It captures the band playing a song about an acid-inspired dream, with a feeling that there is no place left to go when there’s a literal landmine everywhere, and no matter what you do you’re going to be blow up. The EP wraps up with the incredibly intense “D.K.C.”, which is about losing a child to a school shooting, and “Stella” about the price of instant fame. The latter 2 show the depth that the band can produce lyrically, and the guitar work especially shows why they’re not strictly a punk, but have a more diverse sound that doesn’t paint inside the numbers of strict genre references. CARSEX somehow combine the qualities of the past with modern relevance in a way like no other, and they meld their punkness into a modern noise-rock masterpiece with ‘Human Interest.”
Brent Musgrave