Jacksonville Rockers Carmen Grab Onto Radio-Ready Hard Rock on New Single, “Tear My Arms Off”

With “Tear My Arms Off,” local band Carmen grab onto radio-ready hard rock and, over the course of the song’s four minutes, don’t let go. 

The song is the first single from Carmen’s forthcoming new EP, Oh Well. The band—vocalist Chad Villarroel, guitarist Grant Nielsen, bassist David Johns and drummer Jack Ringca—features some well-known players in the Jacksonville indie scene. Polished with just enough production-sheen to give the band sonic clarity, “Tear My Arms Off” is a charts-aiming pop-rocker, following the Foo Fighters compass points of unison-crunch guitars, a metronomic rhythm section and a bridge that drops out and then doubles down, all tethered tightly together by Villarroel’s unabashedly (and worthy) arena-rock vocal skills. 

Carmen have released two previous EPs (Pause/Again and Floor). And with “Tear My Arms Off,” the band sounds intent on honing their sound, removing any possible dross, generating a post-emo wallop that is a byproduct of ‘90s grunge hits (now “classic rock”) while presently operating in the indie-rock realm, a place that remains indifferent, aloof and suspicious of mainstream success. Considering the unpredictable variables and forces at play working for and against emerging musical acts, the chances of Carmen rising up through the membrane of obscure and independent are as good and bad as their peers. Carmen doesn’t reinvent the wheel. But why bother when the rock-success machine has been long in motion? Heard by the right ears, Carmen could surely be a multi-act-festival-ready band. Hopefully the group grabs hold of some that career serendipity with “Tear My Arms Off.”

“Tear My Arms Off” is streaming on all streaming platforms and you can follow Carmen on Instagram.

Listen On: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube