"Something bout / The color of your hair / Red like candy apple flames / And dancing in despair / And you taste sweet like Redpop Faygo / Playing “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?”
I fell right into the runaway machine beats and trancy post punk surf guitars of "Carmen San Diego" by Famous Friend, the "sun-soaked dream rock project" of Los Angeles writer / producer Zachariah Carlson, easily diving in my socks into the couch. It is a great song to pretend I am once again young, ride skateboards and still own my 67 Fender Jaguar. Something about this track reminds me of The Drums' Portamento but if Jonny Pierce was more post punk (than surf punk) and was super into The Cure (or was more than he is if you know what I mean). I know this musical thought or vague comparison may not make sense since Famous Friend does use surfy guitars but still I feel something here that feels more aloof, less emo, more wryly subversive that pure although it feels pretty damn pure.
LINER NOTES (bracketed):
[Juxtaposing sanguine surfy guitars and propulsive programmed drums with melancholic lyrics, “Carmen San Diego” weaves in childhood touchstones to convey the emotional intensity of an elusive relationship—ranging from Carlson’s favorite soda pop to playing the titular video game Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? in his 2nd-grade classroom (Marquez Elementary in the Palisades, badly damaged in the LA firestorms).
“I try to be intentional with my use of nostalgia,” says Famous Friend of the track. “It’s less about yearning for simpler times and more about incorporating the optimism of childhood into today’s challenges. My memory of playing Carmen Sandiego is using geography clues to find this elusive woman in red. I found a parallel in using context clues to determine where a person is at emotionally.”]
"Carmen San Diego" is the first glimpse of Famous Friend's upcoming EP, "Blue" dropping on April 2nd. As much as I love the atmosphere's of this track, I hate how it ends and even worse, I cannot comprehend why it ends the way it does(?) but that's ok.
BLUE EP Tracklist, available April 2nd
1. Blue
2. Bunny Ears
3. Care
4. Carmen San Diego
1. Blue
2. Bunny Ears
3. Care
4. Carmen San Diego
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/myfamousfriend/
https://www.facebook.com/famousfriendmusic/
https://famousfriend.bandcamp.com/track/carmen-san-diego
Zachariah Carlson a.k.a Famous Friend is a Los Angeles based writer/producer/artist. Drawing on his experiences growing up in the private school uber-elite bubble of west L.A., Zach created the alter-ego “Famous Friend” to poke fun at the worst and best parts of living in Los Angeles. Known for wearing red dresses, turquoise earrings, and pearl necklaces like Audrey Hepburn cast in a John Waters movie, Famous Friend blends beds of washed out indie rock guitars with sparkling programmed pop drums, while exploring themes of isolation, jealousy, authenticity and everything else we’d never dare post on Instagram. When not taking the piss out of L.A., Zach is writing and producing for alternative and pop artists like Winnetka Bowling League, Nashon, Drew Ryn, and Casket Cassette. When he’s not doing that he’s at Pickwick Lanes working on his split conversion rate.
Zachariah Carlson a.k.a Famous Friend is a Los Angeles based writer/producer/artist. Drawing on his experiences growing up in the private school uber-elite bubble of west L.A., Zach created the alter-ego “Famous Friend” to poke fun at the worst and best parts of living in Los Angeles. Known for wearing red dresses, turquoise earrings, and pearl necklaces like Audrey Hepburn cast in a John Waters movie, Famous Friend blends beds of washed out indie rock guitars with sparkling programmed pop drums, while exploring themes of isolation, jealousy, authenticity and everything else we’d never dare post on Instagram. When not taking the piss out of L.A., Zach is writing and producing for alternative and pop artists like Winnetka Bowling League, Nashon, Drew Ryn, and Casket Cassette. When he’s not doing that he’s at Pickwick Lanes working on his split conversion rate.
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