New York-based artist Carter Brady unveils a consistently strong rock sound across his new album Shopping Cart, deriving influence from the past three decades — from the string-touched grunge of “Invincible” to the fuzzy alt-rock distortion within “Suppressed.” An impressive display of hooky structural reveals and heartfelt thematic drives persist throughout the album, which also boasts a music video for each song within.
“We’re Talking” opens the album with a harmonious power-pop ardency, intertwining melodic guitar pulses into the “now we’re talking,” vocal momentum. The fuzzy guitar riffs pair with Brady’s confident vocal lead for a familiarly inviting sound, with shades of Big Star. Chirpier guitar twangs emerge around mid-point, leading into the “time took away my past,” introspection — building from quaintness into a cohesive re-igniting of passion thereafter: “It’s time to be free.” “We’re Talking” certainly kicks off Shopping Cart with a spirited, accessible charisma.
The album’s concept track “Grocery Store” is another standout, particularly catching in its playful guitar tones and “walked inside my grocery store,” debonair vocal traversal into a soaring hookiness. The breezy rock amiability concludes with a twangy satiation, then moving into the smooth emotiveness of “Late Night Temptations” — resembling Last Dinosaurs in the overall tonal direction. “My conflictions make me free,” Brady sings during an especially compelling momentum, where glistening guitars accompany lyrics that revel in youth’s possibilities, though also acknowledging the daunting nature of expectations.
“Lost In This World” furthers that sense of modern ennui, acknowledging a title-referencing state amidst a moody rock appeal; shades of post-punk enamor in the bass line, while the vocals prove commanding in their range of background soaring and more subdued contemplation. Laments of “nothing’s going right,” are stirring into the track’s finale; Shopping Cart shows a commendable grasp of balancing melodic immediacy with emotive sincerity, and “Lost In This World” is a stellar example of such.
A sense of rock nostalgia permeates through the album, both in more spirited rock anthemics like “Suppressed” — resembling early-era Smashing Pumpkins in its choice guitar tones (featuring the classic Big Muff guitar pedal) — and the emotional slice of grunge in the preceding “Invincible.” Acoustics initially lead that fantastic track, as vocals let out “you know I feel invincible,” with chilling immersion as heartrending strings enter. The track features cellist Lori Goldston, who toured with Nirvana during their In Utero era. Shopping Cart is a gripping success from Carter Brady, cohesively melding throwback and modern rock sentiments with palpably authentic emotion.
