Big sound, big energy, big attitude. But it’s only two people. Norwegian alt-pop/punk duo Ask Carol hits us big and hard with their latest single Do It in LA. It’s loud, it’s grungy, and it’s bold in strong, young, unapologetic feminine energy.
Abounding and erupting with edgy electric guitar lines and punkishly rapid, hard-hitting percussion beats, it’s all a refreshingly grungy backdrop for the power of the vocal work. The chorus is big and bright with what might be envisioned as a punk mob of disillusioned cheerleaders. It might sound young, yet it’s anything but trite. Do It in LA is a tongue-in-cheek commentary about the enticements and tensions of fame, and the disillusionment of the Hollywood lifestyle. Ask Carol describes the song as a “half satirical comedy about the shallow, plastic fantastic society, half an honest testimony to us dreaming ourselves away to sunny Californ-i-a, and LA. Everyone has an opinion about the celebrity scene, but who hasn’t dreamt of being a Hollywood star?” The infatuation of an innocent ideal crashes in to the harder and starker experiences of reality:
“We say That Love is all we need,
then we camouflage the greed,
to play the game.”
The final effect is loud, edgy, and just plain fun, all creatively produced by two young musicians equipped with two guitars, drums, a synth, and a drum machine.
