“Tarah Who?. It’s not a question that needs to be answered. Tarah Who? is a rising statement in the progressive punk/grunge scene”.
Pit thrashy drums and discordant guitars against an assault of anthemic vocals, and you’re onto a musical concoction that has defined Tarah Who?’s discography since her self-titled debut in 2006. Hailing from L.A., Tarah Carpenter hammers out a high-octane Grunge-Punk sound equally as visceral as it is cathartic. With constant flourishes of emotions that pull from her life experiences, their music unfolds like a series of autobiographical memoirs, in all of its strength and vulnerability. Whether on stage or in the studio, it’s an untamed collision of bold lyricism and relentless instrumentation that mirrors the spirit and attitude of Punk Rock.
Tarah was born in France and began smashing away at the drums at just 14, ignoring those around her who suggested she try her hand at a more “ladylike” musical pursuit. Willful, and somewhat stubborn, she honed her chops, forged her creative path, and branched out to bass, guitar, singing, songwriting, and producing.
After a fateful move to Los Angeles in 2006, Tarah showcased her solo debut as Tarah Who? at a warehouse party that she found on Craigslist. It was the perfect breeding ground to sew the seeds of her newly formed sound, one that, up until then, she had kept in private… waiting for the right moment to unveil it to the public.
With a consistent slew of incendiary live shows that saw the duo perform worldwide, including Hellfest and the Wheels & Waves Motorcycle Festival in France, Tarah Who? have demonstrated their capacity to ignite crowds of all sizes.
Amidst the heavy touring schedule, Tarah also released several full-lengths, EPs, and a raw punky Rock n’ Roll single. Her output has earned them feature-story coverage from Rolling Stone France, Voici, Tatouage Magazine, GIG Radar, Kill The Music, La Grosse Radio, Loud Stuff, Moshville, Music Connection, Muzak, and The Ring Master, among other outlets.
Now with their eyes set on shaking things up even further, Tarah Who? is gearing up for the release of their brand new full-length album. Titled, ‘The Collaboration Project,’ the album serves as an effort to support independent bands and women in Rock on a global scale. Scheduled for release in April 2023, it will feature numerous collaborations with artists they’ve met on the road during their travels, and is being produced alongside legendary producers and engineers Jason Orme (Alanis Morissette) and Norm Block (L7).
Tarah Who?
Bio - Abridged
“Tarah Who?. It’s not a question that needs to be answered. Tarah Who? is a rising statement in the progressive punk/grunge scene”.
From their humble beginnings playing DIY shows and warehouses to now repping their sound at prestigious European festivals (Hellfest, Wheels & Waves Motorcycle Festival), Tarah Who? has been turning heads with their brand of high-octane grunge-punk. Equally as visceral as it is cathartic, their sound collides bold lyricism and relentless instrumentation, mirroring the spirit and attitude of Punk Rock.
Masterminded by Tarah Carpenter, her output has earned her feature-story coverage from Rolling Stone France, Voici, Tatouage Magazine, GIG Radar, Kill The Music, La Grosse Radio, Loud Stuff, Moshville, Music Connection, Muzak, and The Ring Master, among other outlets.
Alongside producers Jason Orme (Alanis Morissette) and Norm Block (L7), she is currently gearing up to release their brand new full-length album, titled, ‘The Collaboration Project.’ Head to https://tarahwho.com/ for more info.
“We dedicate this EP to the 64 women who were at the immigration detention center in downtown LA on November 19, 2014 with Tarah G. Carpenter.” Within the first chaotic seconds of “Linger”, I was in love. A mix of voices, strange other-world like noises and the clash of drums here and there, there is really no other word to use other than chaotic. Tarah G. Carpenter’s voice come in and instantly take control of the chaos. There’s something very mechanical and almost alien like with her voice creating a sense of power. You can hear the 90’s grunge influ- ence loud and clear (...) “Copycat” (...) This is one of those fist shaking songs. There’s just this very rebellious and resilient vibe to this three and a half minute song that is truly infectious.(...) The EP slows things down for “Hurt”. Although a cliche song name, this song is anything but cliche. Tarah’s voice and the lyrics are given a chance to shine during this track. It almost acts as a break from the chaos in the previous songs but it’s not quite a breather. There’s something painful and dark about Tarah’s voice in this song and it’s one of those things that, when listening, you realize was there through- out the previous two songs too, you were just distracted by everything else going on. (...) Things kick back up with “Umbilicus”. This may be the shortest song on the EP at only a second over two minutes but it’s the most aggressive. With only thirty second left in the track, the band kicks into what can only be described as a pit of music.(...) “Numb Killer” is about the Manchester attacks at Ariana Grande’s concert. Tarah was trying to picture the scene and what the perpetuator might have seen or felt before acting. Multiple elements that were introduced in the first four songs seem to come back to the limelight throughout this track making it the perfect ending. Did you like the chaos of “Linger”? Perfect! It’s in “Numb Killer”. Did you like the beauty of “Hurt”? Great! You’ll get it in “Numb Killer”. Did you just like every single aspect of the previous four songs? Awesome! You’ll get everything you loved about every other song in “Numb Killer”. Read the full review here: https://girlattherockshows.com/2019/09/02/album-review-tarah-who-64-women/