B-Side Guys

Nick Carver’s latest transmission as Dr. Rocket arrives as a deceptive time capsule—a track that initially presents as comfortable nostalgia before revealing itself as something far more temporally complex. “Maybe It’s Time,” released a month ago from Seattle’s bedroom pop astronaut, operates in a fascinating liminal space where 1970s AM radio warmth collides with contemporary introspection.

The track opens with playful, almost throwaway “Hoo hoo hoo hoo” vocals that function as both homage to pop’s simpler past and ironic counterpoint to the emotional excavation that follows. This juxtaposition becomes the track’s central tension—Carver’s arrangement feels comforting and familiar, while his lyrics perform the uncomfortable work of relationship forensics.

When Carver sings “Like water down the drain, I let you slip between my hands,” the metaphor feels deliberately everyday, matching the lived-in quality of the production. The warm keys provide a gentle bed for his vocals, which shift between smooth delivery and occasional yelps that punctuate moments of emotional clarity. These vocal modulations reflect the song’s thematic preoccupation with inconsistency within relationships.

The electronic drums deserve particular attention—their punch provides necessary structure to what might otherwise drift into formless psychedelia. This rhythmic solidity anchors the track even as the narrator confronts his inability to provide similar stability in relationships: “And I don’t know why I never could give you enough to survive.”

At 1:06, the chorus arrives with a question disguised as resignation: “Maybe it’s time I settle down.” The melodic shift here is subtle but significant, lifting just enough to suggest possibility while the lyrics remain caught in the gravitational pull of past failures. The arrangement opens slightly here, allowing room for Carver’s garden/sun metaphor to bloom into something more profound than its initial simplicity suggests.

What distinguishes “Maybe It’s Time” from standard relationship post-mortems is how Carver weaves together retrofuturism with genuine introspection. His “genre-bending approach” isn’t merely stylistic promiscuity but reflects the song’s thematic concerns—the inability to commit, to define, to remain consistent. The production choices themselves enact the song’s emotional journey.

As a single from his newest album “Buoy,” “Maybe It’s Time” suggests Dr. Rocket has found a distinct orbital path in the crowded indie universe—one where nostalgic comfort and uncomfortable self-examination can coexist in the same musical moment.