Lucas Carpenter is a singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. Raised in Pennsylvania, choirs and community theatre informed his creative upbringing which he took forward to Berklee College in Boston to graduate with a degree in music. His debut EP “The Shimmer” released in 2020 after his time as a performer of live one-man-band shows. He has worked his musical hero, the LA based producer Bleu, who has produced for several other iconic artists on his latest EP “Art Kids from the country: Volume 1” which documents the experience of growing up as an artistic theatre kid in a small town in America.
The five track EP starts off with “Keep ‘em guessin’” that sets the base for the proclamation of a unique individual identity. The lyrical themes stand out along with the songwriting that addresses not fitting into a box and the chokehold of labelling in order to fit into a clique. Lucas Carpenter flips being misjudged in High-School on its head and claims grey areas of ‘keeping people guessing’ unapologetically. With very colourful guitar production, clappy percussion and whisper-filled ad-libs, the track manages to set an ambience that is chill, upbeat and true to its inspiration from musical theatre.
“Uppercase love” follows similar sonic themes with colourful dream pop production and bubble-gum cloudy instrumentation. The very soft acoustic guitar is juxtaposed with heavier percussion, making the track quintessentially pop! There is a spirit of discovery, of the strength of one’s own feelings and of each other’s bodies that guides the track. Lines like “Looking for answers in the good book or each other’s laughter” and “Biblical phrase” are emblematic of the religious upbringing that each person makes personal meaning out of on their own course.
“Bootleg” has a much more electronic sound to it that is exacerbated with the use of grimy sound effects. The short track is fun, filled with boy-ish charm and explores a lyrical theme that isn’t often looked into in music; that of finding someone similar both in terms of aesthetics and personality to your loved one and being unwilling to settle for them.
“Two Peas in a Pod” has a very unique sonic palette and an interesting cadence. It captures the feeling of the honeymoon phase with great accuracy and gives us the experience of being excited about a new person sonically. Finding someone who feels like home and is quirky in all the same ways that you are is written about poetically.
The EP closes itself out with the very soft “Art Kids from the Country – Bleu edition”. The acoustic guitars and the very wide vocal range of Lucas Carpenter is juxtaposed with the heavier anthemic beats during the chorus. Amidst football fans, hippies and cornfields, he creates space for himself and other people like him.
There are several instances where the proximity to LGBTQIA communities is weaponised against Lucas Carpenter, but I really enjoyed the fact that in the process of flipping his categorization as an outcast on its head, Lucas Carpenter is careful not to resort to homophobia. Very openly queer references like “Queer Eye” and Carly Rae Jepsen are made with fondness and there is a strong emphasis placed on finding comfort in one’s own skin that can set you free and let you thrive. “Art Kids from the Country: Volume 1” is a proud, unapologetic reclamation of the outcast identity. Make sure to check it out here:
