Champagne Colored Cars
Champagne Colored Cars

Champagne Colored Cars

When I listen to Champagne Colored Cars, I’m reminded of one of 2016’s biggest surprises for me, Tiny Moving Parts’ Celebrate. Both Celebrate and Champagne Colored Cars’ debut self-titled EP are mathy emo albums with more than just a little post-hardcore influence – but both manage to be so much damn fun. Now, to be sure, Champagne Colored Cars is significantly less technical than anything Tiny Moving Parts has ever released, and to me, that’s a bit of a bonus; it gets tiring sometimes when every band wants to be “American Football But Heavy.”

The band throws some trumpet into “I Eat Stickers All the Time Dude,” and it’s a cool mix to hear horns over screams. The next track, lead single “Super Silver,” finds the band channeling Sorority Noise’s blend of pop-punk, emo, and post-hardcore, with a jittery but catchy hook. It’s a nice burst of energy before the post-rock inflected closer.

“Radiant” ends the album with a nice gradual build to the heaviest moment of the record, which finds vocalist Tyler Perkins practically audibly shredding his throat. It ends up as the most powerful song on the EP, which is fair praise for a debut as impressive as Champagne Colored Cars. Here’s hoping the followup is just as impressive.