Interview: Carley Carpenter suits up for pop glory

Pop music should be fun. It should wash away the bad taste of former lovers and drive your dancing feet out onto the club floor, fists pumping, body fluid and grooving. Synths slap in glassy, rainbow-cut waves, and you drown in a euphoric tinge of weekend regret. Carley Carpenter‘s “Unloved You” – standing in considerable contrast to Fletcher‘s hit single “Undrunk,” which also seeks to wash away an ex – sparkles with synth-y effervescence and a sly vocal turn. “It’s sort of a confessional, admitting to a lot of things I never said to a person that probably deserved to hear them. It’s an ode to a love I let go because I wanted to pursue different dreams,” the San Francisco transplant writes to B-Sides & Badlands over email.

“If I say what’s on my mind, do you think that’d be alright?” she ponders. The question hangs in the air, drifting on an airstream of acoustics that ring through a synthetic makeup. “I wanted to make sure it had a strong bass line that felt empowering. It’s not easy to voice feelings you’ve never said aloud, so I wanted to make sure there was power behind the lyrics. I wanted it to be really upbeat pop, not another sad love song.”

Originally from Texas, Carpenter has been living your typical so-Cal story – and it’s that core drive that sent her spiraling down the path on which she now treks. “Unloved You” signals a deep trust to her instincts, burying into a Top 40-laced foundation without compromising the sharp emotional spearhead. “Looking back, it’s a little strange how unafraid I felt moving across the country with only $300 and no place to live,” she says.

Early on, she admits to being essentially homeless and at the mercy of a towering cityscape. “I had five days before my first day of work. Most of us who were hired, like me, were from small towns. We were being thrown into this big expensive city having to figure everything out,” she recalls. “We stayed in a hotel for a few days while looking for places we could afford, shoving free apples from the lobby into our purses because we were so low on cash. I found it quite comical then and now. We were just a bunch of broke, 21- and 22-year-olds bopping around this massive city trying to find a home and make our dreams come true.”

Life didn’t stay as a jumbled box of puzzle pieces for too long, though. “I found a four-bedroom house on top of the bay with 25 other young adults. I started writing a lot and constantly bombarded my new housemates with my demos for opinions,” she says. “I flew to Phoenix every month and worked with a producer on finding my sound. Up until about a year before moving to California, I had only written country music.”

Carpenter’s brand of pop doesn’t rely on roots of country music. Rather, such a sturdy base permits her to color well outside the lines (see: the brash-toothed “Lion”) and unlock a more lush potential. Growing up, “country was a constant for me. I even thought I’d be a country artist rather than a pop artist,” she offers. “Texas country is so different from Nashville country, but I was more drawn to Nashville country because of the pop element. I was obsessed with Kacey Musgraves, and she even signed my guitar at a show once. I still fangirl over that.”

Amidst navigating her career, as a flight attendant by day, a musician by night, she also juggles getting older. “Turning 25 is such a strange thing because you’re right in the middle of 20 and 30. Am I supposed to keep traveling the world, writing music, and putting my dreams first? Or settle down, get over those commitment issues, and find more stability?” she grapples. “There’s not really a correct answer to that because there’s no ‘right way’ to live life. I’m definitely getting through this one with lots of wine dates while talking my friends’ ears off.”

“It’s so easy to second guess every little move you make,” she adds, “but I just keep in mind that there is no right or wrong choice. Every decision just leads us to a new path. I think you always end up where you’re supposed to be.”

Carpenter, who explores a dirtier, more languid pop sound with “Wild to Love,” took her frequent Paris work trips as a makeshift songwriting retreat. “My day job [took] me in and out of Paris so much this summer that I found a routine of sitting under the Eiffel Tower, having a picnic with friends, while penning lyrics for hours on end. It became one of my favorite things to do.”

While she leans heavily into guitar-slinging, her craft exhibiting great promise, she has begun dabbling in production work. “It’s been so much fun learning how to do something new. I don’t think I will be releasing any tracks I 100 percent self produce anytime soon, but it’s definitely helped me improve as an artist.”

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