The Pop-Punk Cartel

"Yeah, people are always a little tripped out by the fact we come from Georgia – which of course is primarily known for hardcore bands and heavier bands like Kylesa and Baroness,” Cartel frontman Will Pugh explains. “But you know, the great thing about the Georgia music scene is that we all help each other out. Most of the bands we played with on our way up were hardcore bands. We played small clubs where we would bring our audience and they would bring their audience – it was all very communal and worked out well.”

And how was the more melodic strains of Cartel received by your average Evergreen Terrace fan? “Look, not everyone got it, but most of the kids came to the shows with an open mind and appreciated what we did,” says Pugh. “It's the same on a wider front. Recently we've been touring with a band called Set Your Goals – who are heavier than Cartel – and the response we've had from their fans has been amazing. A few aren't into it, but we've had so many kids come up to us saying that, 'We thought you guys would be awful but now we've seen you play: you guys really rock'. To hear that is great, and it shows that we shouldn't be putting up all these labels within punk rock. Good music is good music and punk rocks kids will respond to you.”

So does the band object to being labeled as 'pop punk'?  “Look, it's not wrong,” laughs Pugh. “We do have a melodic edge and we share similarities with a lot of the Fat Wreck bands. But at the same time we don't like to be boxed in and be made to sound like we just write the same sort of song over and over again because that's just not true. But when it comes down to it, people are going to call us what they're going to call us, so there's no point being too worried.”

Since forming in 2003 members of Cartel have played a game of musical chairs, with Pugh himself shifting from rhythm guitar to bass and Nic Hudson shifting from bass back to rhythm guitar. According to Pugh, it's made life easier for all involved. “Our newer material is much more involved when it comes to the guitar parts, so me switching to bass was a lot easier considering I'm singing at the same time. Also, it means the guitarists can just go nuts live and that's given the band a much heavier punch on stage, if I can put it like that.”

In 2011 Cartel dropped their latest release, In Stereo – an EP of all things. Why an EP after a run of full-length albums? “To be honest, it was a bit of a hurried process,” admits Pugh. “'Not the songs themselves – we already had those written – but the decisions regarding the release were made quickly. Basically we were keen to get out of the 'label' model of releasing material and try out self-releasing our music. Obviously to do that, we needed some material to release; and although we didn't have an album's worth we did have these songs ready to record.

“The obvious thing was to do an EP, and we put a lot of effort into making sure it sounded good and was professionally presented. We're really happy with it and now we're looking at releasing our next full length album.”

And can he give us any goss on the new project? “Well, by the time this interview goes to print we'll be in the studio,” says Pugh. “We already have three quarters of the album written and the material is a mix of older songs we've had for a while and some new songs. It's definitely going to have that Cartel sound but the newer songs are definitely very ambitious and represent a step forward for the band. Hopefully we'll play some of these tracks when we come down to Australia and you guys can hear them for yourselves.”

Cartel will play the following shows:

Wednesday 5 September - Crowbar, Brisbane QLD
Thursday 6 September - 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 Fishos, Manly NSW
Thursday 13 September - The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Friday 14 September - Blackmarket, Adelaide SA
Saturday 15 September - Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully VIC