Look, Carrying Torches – those Chicago rockers who’ve been slinging Electric Heartland Garage Rock – they’re not messing. Their new single “Opening Up” is the kind of song that shakes the ground under your feet. These guys have built their name on raw power and stories that hit you right where it counts, and guys, Justin Daniel and his crew have really outdone themselves this time. They’ve created something that’s both haunting and honest – the kind of song that settles deep in your chest and stays there.
After snagging Mad Indie Media’s Music Video of the Month for “All For Nothing” and riding the wave of buzz from “Good In Blue,” it feels like the band’s really found their groove with “Opening Up.” They’ve taken their signature sound – you know, that killer combo of gritty garage-rock bones with these huge, cinematic moments – and turned the dial way past eleven.
Justin Daniel lays it bare: this track is about the brutal, beautiful struggle of letting your guard down. “It’s about the push and pull between letting someone in and the fear of exposing your darkest parts,” he says, pinpointing that universal terror of being truly seen. “Opening Up” wrestles with self-destruction, that desperate need for connection, and the question that keeps you up at night: “Am I too far gone, or is there still a chance to be understood?“
Sound-wise, the band brings it. Those “haunting melodies” drift through like smoke in a dimly lit bar, pulling you right in. The “eerie gothic undertones” give it this perfect edge of darkness that matches what they’re singing about. But here’s the thing – underneath all that atmosphere, you’ve got that classic Heartland backbone. This is rock ‘n’ roll that means business. And that “cinematic imagery” they mention? You actually feel it when the song swells and shifts, like you’re watching a movie in your head. Yeah, it hits you in the feels, but it also sends chills down your spine.
“Opening Up” isn’t just another single dropping into the void. Carrying Torches have nailed their signature sound here.