Following up on his excellent alt-pop record Guestlist, released last month, Bulgarian Cartrader is back with new single Narrow Band Of Happiness.
Bulgarian Cartrader, or BCT for short, is the musical project of Danial Stoyanov, and where Guestlist was a wilfully unique take on indie R&B, Narrow Band Of Happiness is something else entirely. If the former has hints of Jai Paul, then BCT’s new single is his take on Jack Antonoff — walls of guitar employed to create something unapologetically pop. This is the first song that Stoyanov is looking to push to a broader audience, and that is reflected in the sound at play.
And yet, whilst Narrow Band Of Happiness is clearly a step change in the sound, Stoyanov is still demonstrating his technical ability and his creativity. As the song moves towards the chorus, it gradually builds, adding additional vocal harmonies. The chorus itself is a marvellously energetic cacophony of melodies that invokes Low and Lust For Life era Bowie. The bridge in the song’s final third is basically perfect — a ridiculous guitar solo being granted bags of space, yet still refusing to acquiesce, even as Stoyanov delivers the song’s final lyrics. Bravo, BCT.