Second EP release from Salisbury ‘chaos merchants,’ Carsick.  Five songs of Gen-Z booze-fuelled angst, all set against a backdrop of tight, punchy, accomplished punk noise

Release Date:  5^th September 2025

Label: Alcopop! Records

Formats: Vinyl / Digital

P*SSED-UP PUNK ENERGY…

Formed over a few pints in a Salisbury boozer in late 2021, Carsick are a band known for their “…signature blend of p*ssed-up punk energy, indie swagger and deadpan social commentary.” 

The band are: Joe Richardson (vocals), Jack Richardson (guitar), Jack Hardiman (bass) and Tom Armstrong (drums).  They’ve been building a solid reputation for themselves as, in their own words, “…one of the UK’s most riotously fun bands;” in 2024 they played victorious sets at Reading, Leeds and TRUCK and they completed their first UK headlining tour.

WHAT LIFE HAS TO OFFER IN 2025

With Tough Luck, Carsick’s second EP release, the band take a critical and honest look at what life offers their generation in the UK in 2025.  It’s not a pretty picture, but they wrap it up nicely.

Indeed, reflecting upon the subject matter that inspired the EP’s five songs, bassist Jack had this to say: “It felt like the right time to be completely honest.  Everyone, no matter what their situation, is well aware that the world is totally f*cked at the moment: socially, politically, culturally – we’re in a proper dark time.  Our music’s always reflected our lived experience and even our small local communities are feeling the effect, from the top down.  Everyone’s going through it and a lot people are getting too comfortable being c*nts, so there’s a lot of that on the EP.”

A COMMON THEME

Boozy over-indulgence is a common theme throughout the EP, together with the resultant loss of inhibition and self-control, but it’s not the only subject on offer.  Disillusionment, rejection, frustration and police harassment all come under scrutiny in a semi-serious kind of way; as bassist Jack points out: “Sometimes, if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.  Life’s so infuriating and stressful sometimes that you lose the ability to take a step back and see how ridiculous it is.  These songs have been a good opportunity to do that.  Commentary and satire is always better when it’s a little tongue-in-cheek anyway.”

A chiming guitar introduces opening track, Violence, and it persists throughout the song’s tight, punchy, verses.  Joe half sings, half spits-out his lyrics as the song threatens – but never actually manages – to break out into anarchy.

DISILLUSIONMENT, EXCESS AND FUTILITY

Backseat, the EP’s lead single, is described as “…a dancefloor-ready banger, laced with disillusionment” and that’s a pretty accurate overview.  It’s a fast, solid song with a poppy sensibility and lyrics that list causes of frustration and despair, concluding with the question: “Have I got to die, just to feel alive?”

Nowhere is the common theme of excess and futility more apparent than in the venomous Pub Watch.  “You’re drinking too much and acting like a dick.  Chatting up the girls, thinking you’re right – the only head you’re getting is the one that’s on your pint,” spits Joe, to an urgent, unyielding riff accompaniment.  It’s intense and it reflects a series of situations that will be painfully familiar to just about everyone who hears the song.

GLORIOUSLY PUNKY

Things take a surprisingly funky turn as shuffling drums and twangy bass set the scene for the sardonic Song About the Police.  It may be hypothetical, but Joe’s lyrics certainly describe a scenario that will be familiar to many, as will the hindsight realization that it all could have been so easily avoided.  And the same theme is continued into closing track, Thatcher’s Gold, another song which doesn’t end well for the over-enthusiastic consumer.  Drums and bass dominate again and the “Locked out on a Friday night” chorus is gloriously punky.

It plays heavily on the Gen-Z angst, but Tough Luck is an interesting, socially valid collection of songs, and Carsick are a highly accomplished band.

Watch the official video to Backseat – the EP’s lead single – below:

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