COME HERE PUPPY

Carter w/ their friend Sofia's puppy "Bean."

A dog is said to be man's best friend, you might think of puppies when you need to bring yourself back down to Earth, or think of any "aggressive breed" that truly means a protective pooch. Having to keep something on a leash, adoring its tricks and treats. It's exhausting yet rewarding.

I digress, but I just have no other way to say it: Caroline Carter is back.

Photo via https://carolinecarter.bandcamp.com/

The year was 2020, and my "artsy friend" Caroline (aka went to a fine arts school) worked at a Marble Slab Creamery in Fort Worth. On our way to visit her friends on shift, we talked about musicals, me just coming off of an Into the Woods run, and strangely enough, pet owners that make active social media platforms for their animals. I changed their name in my Snapchat to "caroline_the_goldenretriever47," and it has not changed in the 5 years since then.

Growing up queer theatre kids in the South, Carter and I could relate on spiritual levels, leading to many mind-opening conversations at Sonic drive-ins and their famous (now deceased) house. Though we were schools and miles apart, we found our connection didn't need constant communication. We always wished each other well. Here's a cheek kiss for clout:

@ forementioned Marble Slab, where I was also recognized as "Lunchmoney Momo" for the first time in public, circa early 2020

Carter has kept their fans well-fed. From humble beginnings with their first single "Kissing Your Friends" (that I marked in my planner for its release #realone), or my sister and I's most played song of 2024, "Lubbock" alongside fellow singer/songwriter Grace Gardner, all the way to the long-awaited EP "I Did What I Promised," which features five songs as a love letter to their homegrown roots from the Fort Worth Trinity River.

I hope you've been paying attention so far, but in case this is your first time encountering the superstar, why not start with their newest single, "Watchdog"?

"What's wrong puppy? / You look so pretty / When you protect me

Standing steady / Your teeth are ready / Have you been sleeping?"

Left distorted and head-banging upon first listen, there is already a crystal clear story to the song. The colloquial "puppy" we've had in our life, performing tricks for you and your friends; a front or an alternate route to ulterior motives. Carter writes with a target, but it moves like any other creature hunted. The song is raw and wide-eyed, unashamed of what is seen when others might look through rose-colored glasses. It demands a cigarette and introspection.

"Keep your mouth shut / There's no need for blood / Or the bite marks on my friends who I told to give you applause."

Scratch the golden retriever. This song bites down hard, leaving marks that linger with every heavy riff. The leash has been loosened, but the collar has been lost.

"I'll shut you out the back the back door / If you don't let me breathe

I didn't want a watchdog / To fall in love with me."

I kiss Carter's cheek (and the hand of producer Ryan Lavey) from Fort Worth to Nashville, and we should be kissing their knees for such a legendary new drop. More to come from them, so keep doing your your best tricks..."and show me again."

Theatre kid Mo circa pre-COVID when Caroline and Jackson Roblow came to see me shine as part of the "tree chorus" in Into the Woods

Cheers,

Mo☼

P.S. Here's their curated playlist from Spotify with influences and nuances alike: