
There are punks, and then there are punks. Some punks write rebellious songs, bring energy to the tunes and aren’t afraid to turn up their guitar amps. The other types of punks punch needing needles through their eyebrows, shout into a mic about wanting to assassinate the president and rarely know how to tune their guitars. Who do you think gets more fans?
A lot about having success in the music world is a gamble. Sure. We all know that. But much of it makes sense. Eventually, bands like The Replacements or Green Day found fans who liked their music. But it wasn’t because they’d sold out. Not strictly. It was first because their songs were tightly written and designed to appeal to a large number of rock fans.

Bringing tight songwriting based on punk-rock strategies to a mainstream audience is what keeps Carter Brady up at night as well. And, Brady has no reason to pretend to only be doing this in order to look cool in photos. “Shopping Cart” is an earnest attempt at writing catchy guitar songs that have a modern energy and can be loved by modern audiences.
There’s little that an artist can do to be more alternative nowadays than to write a guitar-pop track meant to be played on the radio. Album opener, “We’re Talking,” attempts to do just this. Built on punchy power chords, 90s rock dynamics and early Foo Fighters melodies, “We’re Talking” is a song that can enter your playlist dedicated to both modern and nostalgic rock right away.
Making guitar tunes that could appeal to millions is what Brady specialises in. Yet, this is not an exercise in populism. The songwriter would like his new fans to know him for what he is. “Instead”, despite the pleasant chorus, reveals a rattled psyche. The one-two punch of “Fit In” is a song about feeling like an alien in an unfamiliar world. And “Lost In This World,” with its lazy, slacker groove, is a tune for everyone who finds themselves feeling directionless and disconnected.
Still, Carter Brady isn’t here to merely dump his problems on his audience. There are hardly any songs here that are not entertaining, that overstay their welcome, or that would be a chore to play in a live setting.
This is not to say that Brady merely relies on a quick jingle to get the job done. The artist is ambitious and willing to work for the fame he desires. “Shopping Cart” contains 13 songs which sonically and thematically fit together well and create a virtual concept record about growing up in a world that can easily burn you out on all of the choices it gives you.
Brady’s songs are here to charm, but the musician isn’t afraid of doing the heavy lifting either. “Late Night Temptations” is a song about kids mad for love, mad for thrills and rarely satisfied. The acoustic-based “Suppressed” is all about sacrificing and dealing with frustration. And “See You In My Free Head”, with its grungey tones, is an invitation to dream the world away.
Where does this leave us? Carter Brady is a real singer-songwriter. His songs are inspired by punk and alt-rock but hardly ever nihilistic. “Shopping Cart” proves that he can write plenty of catchy rock songs and that he possesses the singing voice and the personality to deliver them comfortably to modern listeners. As a DYI, unsigned artist, it’s al about the grind from now until Brady is playing arenas. But a young man who will go to this much trouble on a 13-song collection is no stranger to hard work.
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