Cap Carter Shares Debut Single ‘Relapse’
Manila-born, Sydney-raised singer and songwriter Cap Carter has just released his debut single Relapse, out now via Universal Music Australia.
I am really enjoying Cap's distinctive and authentic vocals which are packed with raw emotion, effortlessly connecting the listener to his storytelling. I am particularly fond of the rasp in his soulful voice that adds an edge and grit that is unique and refreshing. Relapse was written during one of Cap Carter's darkest periods in life and allows the listener to get a glimpse and connect with his own personal and lived experiences.
I am loving his powerful vocals and how they are wrapped around a polished Soulful/Pop production with emotive piano chords and trap-infused beat that create a warm atmosphere for his vocals and storytelling to soar. Speaking about the song, Cap Carter said,
My Mum taught me how to love ballads, but she left when I was 10. And when I moved into dad’s house, he banned music just because it reminded him of mum. And when the voice came out, it came out raging because it was suppressed for a long time. I can’t write anything that’s not lived. There had been instances where I’ve been writing, and I can’t tell whether it’s destructive or healing. But for the most part, in the last few months in the lead up to this project, I felt it’s healing. And I felt like it’s a lot of light.
Accompanying the release, Cap Carter shares its official music video, directed by Maddy King, who took Cap Carter’s personal story and through
her creative genius created something contemporary, modern and
evocative. Check it out below!
Speaking about the video, Cap Carter said,
Relapse is a story of addiction. Through rehab, I’ve learnt that my addiction stems from childhood trauma - specifically the day Ma left and the years spent thereafter. The music video is quite literally a look at the days leading up to the breakdown of my parent’s marriage and the day that would come to forever change my life,” shares Cap. “I wanted the story to be told in such a delicate way that it would respect both of my parents and not in anyway dishonour my family. From the start, I knew that if we couldn’t achieve this then we shouldn’t touch on this particular chapter of my story.
Maddy King explains,
Before I listened to the song, I already knew Cap wanted the video to explore traumatic events, which happened when he was very young. I remember listening to him sing whilst playing the piano on set, and everyone was blown away. His voice is raw and emotional but hearing it in person is another experience entirely. The video is loosely based on Cap’s childhood, which we wanted to explore from his Mother’s point of view. It was interesting figuring out how to convincingly sell a love story without having the actors kiss because we shot during COVID. We also had a scene with butterflies, which I wouldn’t recommend because they flew after the first take.