About "The Fine Line"

"The Fine Line" is about Andrew Tate and the reaction Matthew Walko—CAROUSELS' songwriter and singer—had after learning about the reach and impact that Tate's worldview, including a violent hatred of women, had achieved amongst young men. Fueled by anger and inspired by John Lennon's 70's style takedown tracks, the song paints a picture of Tate as a cunning predator, reframing many of his quotes and ideas while sounding the alarm bell to impressionable boys and vulnerable women. The chorus laments why we continue to fall for "strong men" like Tate, losing our way on the fine line between encouraging freedom and protecting the vulnerable. The song is personal as Matthew reflects on his young daughter's future as she enters more of the world and is bound to face some of the damaging ideas that Tate has fanned a flame to. 

The music for The Fine Line came first, nearly fully formed like an inspired download. It was fleshed out with silky smooth verses and a punch-in-the-guts riff on the chorus. After an excited first run-through at rehearsal,  the lyrics tumbled out nearly all at once the next morning while Matthew was commuting by bike through the streets of Copenhagen. He pulled over at a coffee shop to jot down all the lines before they vanished. 

The band fleshed out the track with the help of Producer Valentin Kruse, mixing influences including blaxploitation soul, 90's hip-hop, 70's riff rock and Britpop psychedelia into a fresh concoction. The track paints a picture of a predator, leads you to self-reflection, and asks how we might finally pull the bobby pin on toxic masculinity. 

About CAROUSELS

CAROUSELS is a Copenhagen-based indie rock band, led by singer-songwriter Matthew Walko from Canada (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Bjartur from Iceland (bass), and Peter from Denmark (keyboards).

Matthew moved from Vancouver to Copenhagen and was keen to start a new project to settle into his new home and bring a fresh batch of songs written during the pandemic. The CAROUSELS sound is hook-filled and exploratory pop music—in a classic sense of the word—that mixes rock, psychedelia and soul music influences. CAROUSELS music moves the body, pulls on the heartstrings, and tends to stay in your head.

Lyrically the songs are deeply personal, touching on themes of displacement, loneliness, and hope sparked by the experience of moving abroad and starting over. Other songs draw from deep introspection and vulnerability about strained relationships to the injustices of our time and memories of the past.

The band has been playing live throughout Copenhagen, including venues such as BETA and Råhuset, refining their sound while building a following. The band are recording and plan to release more singles over the coming months.

For bookings and press, contact: carousels.cph@gmail.com