B-Side Guys

Leisure demands its own architecture, and Tim Carr constructs it with cathedral precision on “Pleasure Drives.” His latest single abandons the melancholic introspection that typically defines his solo work, instead celebrating the radical act of abandoning purpose for pure sensation. The result feels like finding religion in the glow of dashboard lights.

Carr’s background as session drummer for Perfume Genius and Hand Habits serves him well here, as he approaches electronic production with rhythmic sophistication that elevates the track beyond typical bedroom pop territory. The pulsating drum machines create hypnotic patterns while sub bass provides gravitational pull, anchoring the ethereal elements without overwhelming them. Those cathedral-like organs he mentions aren’t metaphorical—they genuinely create sacred space within the digital framework.

The production embodies its own thesis about surrendering control. Recorded in a Tujunga backhouse where noise complaints weren’t a concern, the track benefits from the freedom to explore dynamic range without restraint. Each element breathes with the unhurried quality of someone who’s learned the difference between making music and making time for music to happen. The sonic palette draws from both lo-fi intimacy and polished digital pop, creating textural collages that mirror the album’s conceptual approach.

Vocally, Carr adopts a more optimistic register than his previous output suggested possible. There’s celebratory quality here that feels earned rather than forced, the kind of joy that emerges from intentionally stepping away from productivity culture. His delivery suggests someone who’s discovered that aimlessness can be its own form of navigation, that surrendering direction might lead somewhere more interesting than any planned destination.

The track’s greatest achievement lies in making leisure feel rebellious without being preachy about it. Carr understands that in a culture obsessed with optimization, the simple act of driving without destination becomes almost punk rock. “Pleasure Drives” doesn’t argue for hedonism—it argues for presence, for the radical notion that sometimes the most productive thing you can do is refuse to be productive at all.

This is electronic music that prioritizes feeling over function, creating space for experiences that resist quantification or improvement.