Just two weeks after an ad for Vampr – hailed as Tinder for musicians – came across Daniel Stauffer’s phone in 2017, the Bay Area drummer was in the studio along with two fellow Vampr users, guitarist Bradley Kearsley and singer/guitarist Ben Koppenjan, recording their debut single “Afterlight” with Grammy-nominated producer Billy Mohler.
One new member – bassist Spencer Layne – and a $400 Craigslist van later, the brilliantly named band hit the road, bringing their California cool aesthetic and classically retro sound up and down the coast. In this live setting, free-wheeling and bereft of perfectionist attitudes, the quartet began laying the foundation for their long-awaited debut full-length album, BLOOM.
The album, due out February 26, 2021, on Pure Noise Records, puts Carpool Tunnel’s sandbar psychedelic sound on full display, swirling ’60s and ’70s-era classic rock and blues with the sunny sounds of SoCal-soaked surf rock to create something that’s both nostalgic and fresh.
Months of road-testing the album’s X tracks in front of fervent audiences imbued a sense of spontaneity and looseness into the songs, letting them effortlessly evolve into the versions heard on the album. Across the set, the band brings the California coast to life through breezy rhythms and soothing melodies, from the slinky, bossa nova-flavored “Tarot Cards” to the bouncy, angular “Flora.”
The first single “Empty Faces,” a longtime staple of the band’s live set, is perhaps the best representation of Carpool Tunnel’s juxtaposition of classic and contemporary. Atop doo-wop charm and fuzzed-out guitars, Koppenjan muses about the state of relationships in the modern age – a muddied mix of emotions no other generation has been forced to confront.
“We all have people from our past [that] you don’t really talk to anymore but still have a strange connection to,” he explains. “You might follow them on social media or have photos of them. You know nothing about them now but still feel connected to them because you see them all the time.”
The songs on BLOOM are of that same uncertainty, about navigating life’s newness and seemingly omnipresent obstacles heading into adulthood. They’re sentiments and situations the band experienced firsthand in 2018 after moving in together in San Francisco. As responsibilities like school and day jobs piled up next to the more joyous task of writing an album, the close quarters taught the members a lot about themselves – and one another.
“We were all trying to come out of adolescence and find ourselves,” Koppenjan says of the mindset while writing the album. “The message we came up with was, ‘Like a flower, you too shall bloom.’ We were all blooming into ourselves and finding our sound at the same time.”
With BLOOM under the belt, the band members aren’t wasting any time thinking about the future. The current pandemic and nationwide lockdown have left these road dogs experiencing
some serious separation anxiety – so much so that they decamped to Santa Cruz for a few months to ready their next album. Unsurprisingly, it’s influenced by the current state of the world outside their windows, filtered through an optimistic lens.
“The Eagles are one of our favorite bands,” Koppenjan explains. “If you watch their documentary, History of the Eagles, you see the times they were living in: The world was on fire, the Vietnam War and giant political unrest were happening, and they talked about those things in an apolitical way to provide a sense of escapism for people. We take that philosophy in our writing. Music has always been there for each of us, and we want our songs to do the same for others.” XX
Impressions
Carpool Tunnel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And just dance with me now
And kick off those shoes to the rhythm and blues
And feel it out, I've been looking for someone like you
To show me how
And I'm so obsessed with you, my dear
I don't wanna wait for you to feel the way I do
And it's taking over
These feelings inside of me
That I've been trying so hard to keep from you
It's clear that a girl like you, decides her fate makes it true
And I'm overthrown by your affection
And I'm so obsessed with you, my dear
I don't wanna wait for you now
I don't wanna wait for you to feel the way I do
I don't wanna wait, so much at stake
And not enough time to hold us down
And I don't wanna wait for you now
I don't wanna wait, life's such a game
And one little change could take us away
So I don't wanna wait for you now
And I'm so obsessed with you, my dear
I don't wanna wait for you now
I don't wanna wait for you to feel the way I do
I don't wanna wait for you to feel the way I do
The lyrics of Carpool Tunnel's song Impressions speaks about the intense feelings of the singer towards the girl he is falling for. He is lost without her, and he wants her to dance with him to the rhythm and blues, to show him how he can feel. He is obsessed with her and cannot wait for her to feel the same way he does. The intense feelings he has cannot be contained, and they are taking over him, making it clear that this girl is the one who decides her fate and makes it true. He feels overthrown by her affection, and he cannot wait for her anymore.
The lyrics touch upon a feeling that is universal; the feeling of intense infatuation towards someone who you think can show you the way to happiness. The singer feels lost without the girl, and he wants her to be with him, to dance with him, and to show him the path to happiness. He cannot wait for her anymore, and he is obsessed with her, the feelings inside him cannot be contained. The feeling of being overthrown by someone's affection is something that everyone can relate to, and the lyrics do an excellent job of describing it.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm falling down, without you girl
I feel lost and hopeless without you by my side.
And just dance with me now
Let's enjoy the moment and dance together.
And kick off those shoes to the rhythm and blues
Let's loosen up and let the music take over.
And feel it out, I've been looking for someone like you
I'm looking for a connection and hoping you can give it to me.
To show me how
To show me how to love and feel alive again.
And I'm so obsessed with you, my dear
I can't help but think about you all the time.
I don't wanna wait for you now
I don't want to waste any time, I want to be with you now.
I don't wanna wait for you to feel the way I do
I want you to feel the same way about me that I do about you.
And it's taking over
My love for you is consuming me.
These feelings inside of me
I have intense emotions for you.
That I've been trying so hard to keep from you
I've been trying to hide my feelings for fear of rejection.
It's clear that a girl like you, decides her fate makes it true
You have the power to choose your own destiny, and I hope to be a part of it.
And I'm overthrown by your affection
Your love has completely taken control of me.
I don't wanna wait, so much at stake
There's too much to lose if we wait any longer.
And not enough time to hold us down
Time is fleeting, and we need to seize the moment.
I don't wanna wait, life's such a game
Life is unpredictable, we should take a chance on love.
And one little change could take us away
We never know what life will throw at us, and we should cherish each moment we have together.
So I don't wanna wait for you now
I don't want to delay our happiness any longer.
I don't wanna wait for you to feel the way I do
I want you to feel the same way about me that I do about you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ben Koppenjan, Bradley Kearsley, Daniel Stauffer, Spencer Layne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Quest for greatness
This song would fit well in saints row 2. Amazing nostalgic song
LeeBeast6
I love this song so much!
This whole song is a vibe 🖤
Llamas
Masterpiece <3