I can’t believe it is more than a year since I wrote about JP’s last album, Light Years, but it was and now here he is with the new single from the forthcoming third album, Patience Way. Arrays never sound like the work of just one man but always come across as a full band, which says a great deal about the skill of the person behind it all. Drums are often the element which fail in a project like this but here JP has them nailed down to provide the right amount of aggression, with the guitars and bass often tied together. There is actually quite a lot of guitars overlaid here, with most of them tied in with the bass to create a really crunchy bottom end and then there is another adding additional notes at the top of the neck to create a Muse-style feeling.
Right from the off one is brought deep inside the world of the hook, the melodic almost poppy mentality which combines with hard rock, which if it was turned up a notch further would be very close indeed to the amazing Wildhearts. One can imagine JP and Ginger having conversations about the best way to confuse people is to produce something that is obviously aimed at a heavy audience but is full of pop twists and melodies. At a little over two minutes, one thinks the song may be finishing but instead we get taken into a new section which is just slightly more downbeat which allows JP to come back with some real aggression. The double-tracked vocals add presence throughout, and the result is another well-crafted number from Arrays which takes us on a journey of emotions and styles while always staying true to its underground indie melodic hard rock heart. Solid.
Introducing Arrays, the solo music project of JP Carroll, a musician and producer from Auckland, New Zealand.
For JP, music is an ache to soothe, and an itch to scratch. JP’s drive to create a breadth and depth of oeuvre has led him to become a student of recording and production techniques, as well as general industry knowledge, to allow his work to reach as many willing ears as possible.
Arrays is an award winning, (Radio Wigwam - UK best international male artist 2022), hard hitting alternative rock & metal project. JP’s production skills have earned him spots on the Radioscope Top 40 NZ Rock Chart, Hot Single (NZ Official Music) Chart placements, as well as being anointed as ‘one to watch’ by the NZ Official Music Charts. JP’s former band (Armed In Advance) had the honor of supporting Drowning Pool, P.O.D and Skillet on New Zealand soil. JP also currently fronts Auckland hard rock band Swerve City.