Carb on Carb were an emo and pop-punk duo from Tamaki Makaurau, formed in 2011 by Nicole Gaffney (guitar, vocals) and James Stuteley (drums, vocals). Nicole had cut her teeth in high school band Moron Says What?!?! while James played in Mammal Airlines — a project he started with his friend Giles, which Nicole later joined as live drummer. When they stripped things back to a two-piece, the songs came quickly. The band name came from Nicole’s love of carbohydrates — “basically I just really love carbohydrates… potato curry on rice or potato pizza or noodle sandwiches” — and was meant to be temporary, adopted with two weeks’ notice for their first show.
The duo released their debut EP No Body Perfect in 2012 on James’s own Papaiti Records, followed by Ladies Mile the next year. Both were self-released and raw. Their self-titled debut LP arrived in February 2015, recorded at Munki Studios and The Blue Room in Wellington by James Goldsmith, and released simultaneously on five labels across four countries — Papaiti in New Zealand, Black Wire and Lesstalk in Australia, Ronald Records in the USA, and Toothache Splinter in Malaysia. The album drew comparisons to 1990s emo acts like Rainer Maria and contemporary counterparts like Waxahatchee.
We’ve just listened to more and more, and at some point between our last EP and the album the balance tipped and we were an emo band.
James Stuteley, Under the Radar, 2015
From early on, Carb on Carb were relentless tourers. Over their twelve years they completed seventeen tours of New Zealand, fifteen of Australia, two of the United States, and runs through Southeast Asia, China, and Japan. In October 2015 they showcased at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York alongside Lontalius, Anthonie Tonnon, and Marlon Williams, and played The Fest in Gainesville, Florida. They supported Joyce Manor and The Hotelier on Australian dates, and in 2017 organised Sad by Sad South, a three-day emo festival in Wellington championing all-ages, emotionally open spaces.
We’ve always tried to stay honest to our roots, not changing our accents or singing about other places. Especially after doing a lot of that touring, we’ve become really appreciative of our home.
James Stuteley, Debate, 2023
Their second album For Ages arrived in May 2018 on Black Wire Records, recorded by Dylan Adams in Coogee Beach, Sydney, and mixed by Chris Teti of The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die at Silver Bullet Studios in Connecticut. The album added cello from Olivia Grace Wilding and shifted lyrically toward homesickness, family, and mythologising small New Zealand towns — Mitimiti, Dargaville, Grey Lynn — as an extended love letter to Aotearoa.
For Ages is as good an emo release as you will hear anywhere this year.
Andy Paine, 4ZZZ, 2018
COVID-19 halted touring and delayed their third album by two years. The instrumental parts for Take Time were written in 2020, but the duo decided that if they couldn’t tour they wouldn’t release it. During Auckland’s extended lockdown they made the decision to relocate to Whanganui. The album was eventually recorded by Harry Lilley at The Stomach in Palmerston North, mixed again by Teti, and released on 17 May 2024 on Black Wire and Salinas Records. It explored time, aging, and nostalgia with characteristic warmth — the song “OK Bye” captured the couple weighing up whether to leave Auckland mid-lockdown.
I can’t really think of many albums that tackle the topic of time and aging with such fun, irreverence and heartfelt emotion. Take Time is a collection of powerful songs, performed beautifully and written with absolute honesty.
Nicholas Clark, Muzic.nz, 2024
In August 2024 Carb on Carb announced the end of the band and embarked on a final ten-date farewell tour of Australia and New Zealand. James also ran Papaiti Records for approximately twelve years, a label that grew from bootleg recordings into a hub for Aotearoa emo. Nicole was heavily involved in Girls Rock Aotearoa and its successor To The Front, mentoring women, trans, and gender non-conforming youth in music.
Members
- Nicole Gaffney (guitar/vocals, Moron Says What?!?!, Mammal Airlines, Bitchmagic, DEB5000)
- James Stuteley (drums/vocals, Mammal Airlines, Body 125, How Get)
Discography
- No Body Perfect EP (2012, Papaiti Records)
- Ladies Mile EP (2013, self-released)
- Carb On Carb LP (2015, Papaiti Records / Black Wire Records / Lesstalk Records / Ronald Records / Toothache Splinter)
- For Everest / Carb On Carb Split (2017, Square Of Opposition Records)
- For Ages LP (2018, Black Wire Records)
- Take Time LP (2024, Black Wire Records / Salinas Records)