released: may 30th, 2025

genre: experimental folk-rock

from: london, uk

label: rough trade

a few thoughts: there is something truly captivating about caroline’s music. the 8-piece band, consisting of alex mckenzie, casper hughes, freddy wordsworth, hugh aynsley, jasper llewellyn, magdalena mclean, mike o’malley and oliver hamilton, create these stunning, immersive acoustic guitar and string-led soundscapes that feel so emotionally raw and emotive. caroline 2 is the follow-up to their eponymous album debut, and is a striking and mesmerising body of work that is as powerful as it is emotional. the opener “total euphoria” starts with these restless guitar notes that build along with emphatic drumming and beautiful vocals. the guitar leads and srumming grow in intensity and merge their energies to create this electric piece that speaks on the beauty of change and leaving behind things to make space for new opportunities to blossom. “song two” is sooo good, with its swelling string and guitar compositions that build together, creating this emotionally overwhelming energy that is so easy to get lost in. “tell me i never knew that” featuring caroline polachek is a playful and catchy track. the colourful guitar leads and basslines, as well as caroline polachek’s vocal contribution makes this a stunning and powerful moment on the album. the violin melodies throughout are poignant too. “when i get home” features this subtle drum kick that tripped me out the first few times i listened to it but grew on me so much and is now one of my favourites. it’s as if the drum kicks are counting / measuring time, with this urgent energy, but complemented with acoustic guitar melodies, strings and a bassline that together make for a warm and cathartic listen. as the track progresses, the drum kick disappears, but with immersive strings rumbling bass-driven moments that are really quite powerful. home is a place where we’re on our own time, a place where we can be free from the pressures of every day life. lyrically the album feels like it’s describing a journey of self-growth and continuous discovery, tackling themes of love, heartbreak, loss, the concept of home and what it means to return to self. i get teary eyed listening to the incredible compositions on tracks like “u r ur only aching”, with gorgeous intertwining guitar and bass leads that complement the growing intensity of the drumming throughout. “coldplay cover” is a unique track where the band recorded two separate tracks in two separate spaces in the same house, one in the living room and one in the kitchen of their studio space, as both tracks eventually merge, creating a stunning piece of work, with warm guitar compositions, soothing vocals and sweet tenor saxophone melodies that capture an immersive, soulful energy that is just stunning throughout. the violin composition and the muffled vocals on “two riders down” are gorgeous, and increases in intensity, with the strings, basslines and subtle and chaotic drumming capturing this grand, expansive sound. the way this track builds in intensity is just perfect, as the cacophony in sound between the lush and thrilling string leads, the therapeutic guitar leads that come in, and the eclectic vocals, make it one of of the highlights on this already phenomenal album. the grand, bass-heavy and booming closer “beautiful ending” is just sublime. the strings, and basslines that build intensity in the first part of the track make way for subtle and gentle melodic and sung moments, as overwhelming waves of strings, synths and guitars just hit at once, an overpowering yet delicate moment on the album. the sublime string composition at the end of the track makes for a meditative and comtemplative listen, and one that brings me a moment of melancholic reflection. an incredible closer to a pretty faultless album.

live review: caroline performed at the islington assembly hall in london on tuesday 2nd june. i’ve literally had caroline 2 on repeat since it came out, and was really curious to see how the sound can be translated to a live setting, and oh my god it may have been one of the gigs of the year so far. firstly, their music demands attention. a general ick of mine is people speaking during gigs, and being near the bar area i feared i would hear folks just yapping away. i was pleasantly surprised by the fact that there was almost silence from the crowd – myself and everyone around me were fixated on the magic that was happening on stage. sonically, they were perfect. given how many different textures that exist throughout the album (shoutout to the mixing and sound engineering done on the album), i was curious as to how this would translate into a live performance – whether all the sonic textures and moments i love from the album would sound as emotionally and sonically raw and powerful as how they sound on wax. and it was even more grandiose, immersive and emotional as i predicted. the sound quality in general was great, with the acoustics being perfect for this performance. i shed a tear throughout “two riders down” and “beautiful ending”, while had a little boogie to “tell me i never knew that” and their encore track “dark blue”, off their first album. for “colplay cover”, the band explained the process behind recording that track, and proceeded to play it in the same way as they recorded it, in two separate spaces on stage, and it was incredible. the string and brass compositions gave me goosebumps throughout, while the vocals were raw and soulful. they had perfect chemistry, and it was an emotional and cathartic live experience i will never forget. and thank you for the blue vinyl, it sounds great!

the album: