Nicholas Kobe, Staff Writer 

[SideOneDummy Records; 2024]

Rating: 7/10

Key Tracks:  “Can We Just Get High?”, “CAR”, “Me vs The Windmill” 

Rochester alt-rock band Carpool’s third studio album My Life In Subtitles was released March 22, following 2020’s Erotic Nightmare Summer. Despite this only being the band’s third record, My Life In Subtitles showcases Carpool working through all of the best tropes of alt-rock, while putting their spin on it, to create a very cohesive and dynamic record. 

While My Life In Subtitles pulls from a variety of influences across the rock world, this album is still, first and foremost, a pop-punk record and it’s very good at it. The genre’s trademark nasally vocals, distorted guitars, and focus on big catchy choruses are most clearly seen on tracks like “Can We Just Get High?” and “I Hate Music”. These tracks stand out as some of the most memorable and anthemic moments the record has to offer. 

While these might be the moments that grab a casual pop-punk listener, this is a less in-your-face chorus and riff-fest. The guitars are almost strictly rhythmic and it’s comparatively slow for a pop-punk record, more for headbanging than moshing. The production really lets the listener wallow in these, yes, catchy, but very sad songs. The way the walls of guitars encapsulate you and drag you through each track feels most reminiscent of The Used’s early work such as “Buried Myself Alive” and “All That I’ve Got” or, to a lesser extent, “Drowning Lessons” and “Cubicle” off of My Chemical Romance’s debut album. This foundation of sad, steady, and heavy pop-punk is the foundation the band will always come back to, but some interesting diversions in the tracklist keep things interesting. 

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The biggest standout in this regard is “CAR”, a song that leans much into dissonant chords and full-blown screamed vocals. The hardcore punk and noise influence is obvious, being reminiscent of something like Chat Pile in its intense and chaotic anger. There’s also a good deal of Midwest emo influence on this record, particularly on tracks like “Open Container Blues” and “Done Paying Taxes”, both songs with beautifully played clean passages, contrasted with the signature wail of Midwest emo. 

This sort of agonized vocal delivery dominates the record, and while it may not be for everyone, I think it highlights the slower pace and the emotional lyrics. Another interesting track sonically is the final song, “Every Time I Think Of You I Smile”, which immediately called to mind Panic! At The Disco’s Pretty Odd. While this track never gets as campy as that record does, it has the same listful energy as a song like “Do You Know What I’m Seeing?”. 

To me, the lyrical tightrope balance Carpool pulls off is one of the most impressive things about this record. Pop-punk is a melodramatic genre, that’s a given. However, there’s a fine line between annoying whining and charming or deep lyricism. 

In line with the music, Carpool is going for something more serious. To me, this is always a much harder sell than the goofiness of Blink-182 or Fall Out Boy being unabashed losers. If you want to be successful in being serious, you have to be good enough to not laugh at. Luckily, Carpool pulls this off. Songs like “Crocodile Tears”, the first verses of “Me vs The Windmill” and “No News is Good News”, and the second verse of “Thom Yorke New City” are particularly evocative examples, of lyrics that reach out and grab you, even if unpacking the full meaning of the song might take more digging. Musically, the record does a good job of reinforcing its lyrics as well. It’s a record that’s hard to pick apart every word of, but quite easy to understand on an emotional level. 

My Life In Subtitles is a very cohesive record. Despite all of the influences I cited and some of the more abstract lyrics, Carpool does a great job of pulling it all together to create a record that’s both approachable and layered. On top of fantastic musical performances across the board, Carpool is operating like a well-tear-oiled machine on My Life In Subtitles. 

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/7sWgC3VwEkJ1NDghlHxGNc?si=AKCeLoMWR5aAeHX5Ubhgog