Here at the Send Me Your Ears Studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from Cardboard Boxer. The San Diego-based band released Tunnel Vision on June 2nd, 2023, and for fans of 90s rock/ Garage that borders on punk or surf rock, this is the track for you!
Tunnel Vision is about getting too caught up in the moment and not realising life is just flying past. The song has a core theme of feeling overwhelmed by the world around us, knowing a decision has to be made, and being uncertain of what path to take.
Tunnel Vision grabs your attention immediately with layered, passionate and punky vocals. The song leads quickly into a fast-paced anthem, with the drummer giving no let up, and the backing layered vocals (“aahs”) filling in the gaps nicely between lyrics.
That all-important second verse holds the listeners’ attention by mixing up the rhythms with some gorgeous work on the toms and some ear-defyingly fast hi-hat work. This guy is on fire!
Tunnel Vision makes superb use of stops to create a tension and release feel to the track and we love the use of different styles of drumming and changes in instrumentation to keep interest throughout.
The vocals are in true punk rock/ garage style, with a melody line that repeats and gets stuck in your head. The choruses are super-catchy and we have no doubt you’ll find yourself singing along in no time.
This is an extremely tight, powerful and punchy track that displays some magnificent musicianship and a true ability to create music that sparks the attention of fans across the board. We imagine that this is a band who are stunning in a live situation, and who are clearly having a great deal of fun creating music.
With a stinger ending and a song sitting at exactly 3 minutes long, this track is a shoo-in for radio airplay, and we’d strongly suggest the band seek out college radio in their area and across the U.S.
Ideas from our ears.
To our ears, there are a few places where a little EQ balancing could really help. Firstly, a boost around 50Hz to bring out the thump of the kick drum followed by a cut around 118Hz to reduce a slight peak on certain notes coming from the bass guitar. A wider boost in the 350-400Hz area could help the overall sound feel a little fuller too. Lastly, a cut around 1.5-2kHz to reduce some slightly ‘harsh’ tones. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
Tunnel Vision by Cardboard Boxer is a tight, catchy and powerful track that will grab your ears from the very first second, and leave you hitting ‘replay’ the moment it ends. A promising and exhilarating ride.
https://linktr.ee/cardboardboxer
https://m.facebook.com/cardboardboxer/
https://mobile.twitter.com/cardboardboxer_
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0SpGqoFExoDwzVWWJrfCpP?si=G6Yj9071S2mOcJgNAo_NBw
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/uTTH5AxN5crJBwV5A
https://cardboardboxing.bandcamp.com/releases
https://youtu.be/dfI5Vo8pTA8
https://www.instagram.com/cardboardboxer_/?hl=en
https://www.songkick.com/venues/738406-soma-mainstage
https://www.tiktok.com/@cardboardboxer_?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc