Happy Friday everyone! As you know, we dedicate our Friday’s to music and pop culture and love to introduce you to young and aspiring musicians or treat you with an acoustic session on our Instagram.
Today we would like to introduce you to CARR, a young singer/ songwriter from LA, who caught our attention with her animating pop-rock and her nostalgic Avril Lavigne vibes. CARR has been in the music business for quite some time, She self-released her first singles and EP back in 2019. Since then the New Jersey-born and LA-based artist has evolved a lot and found herself in the realms of pop-punk and indie rock.
Her new EP I’m Just Bored, which she released via Pack Record, tackles the perils of modern dating, the art of indecisiveness, and the disillusion behind today’s gut-wrenching expectations. Always searching for peace of mind, Carly McClellan aka CARR makes music for a dissatisfied generation. The seven songs center around a myriad of sonic left-turns and diaristic songwriting interrogating the stark realities of coming-of-age mistakes, toxic relationships, and the sometimes painful but joyous roads of self-discovery.
Please briefly introduce yourself and tell us what you’re currently working on?
Hi I’m CARR! I’m a singer/songwriter based in LA, originally from NJ. I just released my EP “I’m Just Bored” on October 29.
Can you remember your first contact with music?
I just remember always loving music, and keeping a lot of CDs around, burning CDs, etc.
Which artists have inspired you most during your youth/ at the beginning of your career? And who do you look up to today?
Growing up a lot of Avril, The All-American Rejects, Good Charlotte, Jason Mraz, those were some of my favorites.
What lies behind the name CARR?
My real name is Carly, so growing up my family all called me Carr. I wish it was cooler than that.
What would you say is the biggest difference between CARR releasing “8th Ave” back in 2019 and CARR recently releasing her new EP “I’m Just Bored”?
Wow, they’re so different. “8th Ave” was the first music I had ever made, and I was heartbroken at the time, so I really was just writing what I was feeling with no understanding of production or what I wanted to do with my sound. “I’m Just Bored” is a lot of growth and way more fun and definitely the kind of music that I want to be making moving forward.
Which is your favorite song of “I’m Just Bored” and why?
Probably “Airheads.” I think it just feels the most special to me.
Why is your EP called like that? Is it a reference to your experience as an artist during lockdown?
This past year I was honestly just really bored with my personal life. So,I was dating losers, reminiscing over past relationships and really just overthinking a lot or not thinking at all.
In the EP you address personal stories about falling for the wrong guys, your past relationship and dating mistakes. How difficult or easy is it really to write about your true feelings?
It’s super easy for me to always write about what I’m feeling. I think that’s why people appreciate my writing because it’s always just straight to the point.
What does your songwriting process look like? What is most important to you?
It’s honest and funny and fully just how I’m feeling at the time. I want to be transparent with people and be straightforward with what I say. I never think of ways to make how I’m feeling sound more intellectual or poetic. I say it straight how it is, which makes it even cooler in my opinion.
You’ve released your new EP just before Halloween and your music videos feature some gory and 90s Horror-Movie elements. What was the idea behind these visuals?
I love horror movies a lot. I made a visual mood board for the project and realized everything I had added was super dark/ horror movie vibes. We thought it would be super cool to tie in my love for the films with the project, especially since it was coming out halloween weekend. So all of the videos are dark, with that vibe of 90s horror films.
