Munich-based punk rockers, Cadet Carter have just shared an inspiring new single, “Let It Go“, off their upcoming album, Self-Maintenance.
With artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Mod Sun and Avril Lavigne dominating the mainstream charts (again!), pop punk and emo music has seen a remarkable resurgence over the past year. While Cadet Carter consider themselves very much part of this genre, their sound is much closer to the likes of Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday than it is to the aforementioned.
The Munich-based band, fronted by Welsh lead singer Nick Sauter, has made quite an impact on the European music scene since starting out in late 2017. Their 2020 album Perceptions made it to #14 on the European Alternative Rock chart, and before the pandemic stopped all touring, the band played a ton of shows supporting artists like Touché Amoré, The Dangerous Summer, Stand Atlantic and As December Falls. In 2022, the band released another album entitled Anthems For The Weak to great reviews before embarking on their first-ever headline tour, playing highly successful shows throughout Europe and the UK.
Cadet Carter’s brand-new album Self-Maintenance, their first release with Austria-based Punk Rock label SBÄM Records, is a collection of songs bursting with catchy melodies, clever arrangements, and heartfelt lyrics. “All these songs are like little odes to taking care of yourself and focusing on what’s good in life rather than letting the more gloomy side of your character win“, says Nick.
“Many of these songs are about keeping yourself together and the mundane activities we do to keep ourselves alive and function adequately in society. I think it’s something not only I but many people struggle with, so we decided to write some songs about it.“
Lead single “Lift Me Up” is as catchy as they come while its lyrics are a not-so-gentle reminder to focus on the good, even if that means having to leave your comfort zone. “Strangers” deals with feelings of loneliness in relationships, and “Let It Go” is the soundtrack to a new beginning. In order to expand their musical horizons, Cadet Carter also got some well-known vocalists to sing on the record: Have Mercy’s Brian Swindle features on “Tightrope”, while Kayleigh Goldsworthy lends her unique voice to “My Favourite Place”.
“We are so incredibly proud of this record“, says Nick. “I think we were able to develop a real sound of our own on this album, which is crazy when you think about it. The musical genre we’re in has seen so many different takes and incarnations over the past decades. One might think everything has been said and done here, but I believe Self-Maintenance is proof that that’s not true at all. I am so proud we were able to still add something new to that sort of sound. It’s such a great thing we managed to pull that off.“
What do you think of their latest single?
