Caroline (stylized in lower case) are an eight-piece rock band that formed in London in 2017. The band comprise Casper Hughes (guitar, vocals), Jasper Llewellyn (cello, drums, vocals, guitar), Mike O’Malley (guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards, cello, percussion), Oliver Hamilton (violin, vocals), Magdalena McLean (violin, vocals), Freddy Wordsworth (trumpet, trombone, bass, vocals), Alex McKenzie (clarinet, saxophone, flute, vocals), and Hugh Aynsley (drums, percussion).
Caroline’s eponymous debut album which dropped back in 2022 cascades with force like an avalanche, squalling and rumbling on the edge of all-out collapse. And yet at other points they slip back into impossibly fragile moments of quiet – a simple bassline or a rattle of snare the only sound amid a dark sea of silence. Caroline know exactly the right balance between restraint and release. The 10 songs on the album are expansive and emotive pieces, their rich palette drawing on a mixture of choral singing, Midwestern emo and O’Malley and Llewellyn’s roots in Appalachian folk.
This year Caroline returned with their second long-player, ‘caroline 2’, where the eight-piece collective embrace a bolder, more expansive sound. Going beyond their debut’s explorations of repetition, slowness and space, the new album pushes further into dynamic contrasts — organic and electronic, raw and refined. Launched with the striking single ‘Tell Me I Never Knew That’, featuring Caroline Polachek’s unmistakable vocals, ‘caroline 2’ showcases a fearless interplay of layered instrumentation, warped vocal processing, and moments of both euphoria and melancholy. Intentional and immersive, this next chapter solidifies Caroline as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary music.
In support of their latest album, Caroline are heading out on a 6-date UK tour this coming February, where they will be dropping in at Edinburgh, Liverpool, Norwich, Cambridge, Brighton and London. Catch their powerful live show here in Brighton at the Chalk venue in Pool Valley on Tuesday 17th February, courtesy of Love Thy Neighbour promoters. Support will come from Paris based Nina Garcia.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE and HERE. Tickets for all Caroline concerts can be located HERE.
