Carpool – Can We Just Get High? / Gulfer – Clean | Double Single Review

Ah, November 15th: a Wednesday that will go down in history as the day we got new singles from venerable emo projects Carpool and Gulfer. Truly a duet of pleasures. Funny enough, even though these are unrelated singles from completely disconnected bands, the titles play off each other in a way that feels like a hilarious coincidence. As a diehard, insatiable emo freak who’s been a fan of both groups for years, today is as good as a national holiday.

First up, Carpool’s “Can We Just Get High?” is a scuzzy dirtbag anthem that asks the exact question posed in its title. The Rochester emo group wastes no time, blasting in immediately with a bouncy two-note pop-punk riff and lyrics that lay out the entire spectrum of human emotion as lead singer Stoph Colasanto shouts, “Love me / hate me / don’t care, can we just get high?” 

This single immediately feels right at home in Carpool’s discography, continuing themes found in some of the band’s best songs, touching on drug use, escapism, and codependency, but still somehow making those topics fun enough to sing along to. Just the first taste of the band’s upcoming sophomore album, “Can We Just Get High,” is the boisterous sound of a party that’s just getting started. As you would expect from any endorphin-expending night out, the comedown is soon to follow, which actually leads beautifully to…

Gulfer’s “Clean” arrives with a magnanimous video that aims to wring the last moments of sun-soaked joy out of the summer. We watch as the Québécois emo group jump into a backyard pool, instruments and all, as the lyrics weave the tale of Nicki, a disillusioned office worker caught in the endless loop of work/home/repeat. 

Moving a half-step away from the emo tappiness of their most recent singles, one-offs, and splits, “Clean” has a sunny sway that shows an unexpectedly poppy side of Gulfer. As the video moves from poolside to the band members lounging around a cozy plant-adorned house, tensions mount as a second layer of harsher vocals get layered onto the final verse, making for a scintillating reminder of why Gulfer are one of the greatest emo bands to ever do it.