Bursting The Bubble

Cartel bounced forth on the pop-punk zeitgeist of the early 2000s on the strength of debut, Chroma, in 2005. They've since garnered a devout following through their stint in MTV's Band In A Bubble (a concept championed here by Regurgitator) and their energetic performances, especially on the Soundwave circuit of 2008. The band is coming back under their own banner, a situation that four years ago mightn't have seemed possible. They've since left their label, Epic Records, whilst also dealing with the departure of bassist Jeff Lett, which has led to Nic Hudson taking up the instrument and Will Pugh taking on rhythm guitar duties. Out of these seismic shifts arose the EP, In Colour, which displayed the most cohesive sound Cartel have put to tape.

“We've been friends since we were in high school, so the solidarity of being friends and having a common purpose for so long really helped us stay afloat and keep a hold on everything,” Pugh offers. “At the end of the day we had to look at whether it was ridiculous for us to keep playing, and it was that simplicity that has allowed us to overcome these little things that have popped up. Everyone we had in the band had always been a friend first, so we didn't want to potentially wreck everything by getting someone we didn't know in, that may not fit the way we always have done in the past. We've always had a clear idea of who we are and what we want to accomplish, so trying to tie ourselves to a label or indeed anyone outside of the band has proven tough to get everyone on the same page. (Leaving Epic and declining to get another member) ensured we made a concerted effort to know what we want, and now that we do, it doesn't feel so hard to achieve it; the steps no longer seem impossible.”

In Stereo has some of the polish and bluster rubbed off compared to its forebears, yet it thrives because of it, showing a band that is being true to itself possibly for the first time.

“Because we knew we wouldn't have as much money going into recording it, we knew it was up to us. I felt learned in recording techniques – we all did. If you can't learn things after three albums, you won't ever learn anything. We put all our eggs in the one basket in saying that we could do it ourselves, so In Stereo really is a product of four guys having their shit together, which is an eye-opening and refreshing thing.”

It marks Pugh's first time as a full-time guitarist in the band, or indeed any band, but he admits that despite initial misgivings it's given Cartel a new lease on life, something they've extended into their upcoming recordings.

“I've been playing guitar since I was twelve, so almost fifteen years, but never really in the band other than on a few tracks for Chroma,” he concedes. “But we've always essentially been a four-piece anyway – just with me at the front. So it was a little weird at first, but then we just got so engrossed with it all. The major fear was whether I could play and sing at the same time, plus I'd never conceptualised how we would play things live, I would just write it and we would work it out later. Now that I had this extra job, this restriction, it just pushed me harder to make it not so. There's an emphasis now on the vocals being part of the music, a total soundscape rather than just a song with a catchy melody.”

Cartel will be playing the following dates and venues:

Wednesday 5 September - Crowbar, Brisbane QLD
Thursday 6 September - Surfer's Paradise Beergarden, Surfers Paradise QLD
Friday 7 September - The Wall, Sydney NSW
Saturday 8 September - Entrance Leagues Club, Bateau Bay NSW
Sunday 9 September - The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW
Wednesday 12 September - Manly Fisho's, Sydney NSW
Thursday 13 September - The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Friday 14 September - Blackmarket, Adelaide SA
Saturday 15 September - Ferntree Gully Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Sunday 16 September - Lilydale Showgrounds, Melbourne VIC