Alt-Pop’s Newest Anti-Hero: CARR Drops “Hardcore!”

Telling an industry that pushes women to the back to shove it, CARR has entered her villain era — the kind where you stop apologizing for taking up space. Her latest single, “Hardcore!”, marks the start of a new chapter leading into her highly anticipated 2026 album, and it’s a blistering reminder that vulnerability doesn’t have to look soft

From the jump, “Hardcore!” erupts with fluid guitars and drums that give you a euphoric sense of whiplash, setting the stage for CARR’s unmatched ability to wrap humor, heartbreak, and pure chaos into one perfect hook. She’s calling out a situationship that never showed up with the same fire — and instead of shrinking, she doubles down on her intensity. I’ve had my fair share of those, and I needed this song when I was sobbing over a boy that looked like a twig.

“I crave relationships that are fast, messy, and all-consuming,” she admits. That hunger devours every second of the track. No crumbs left as Gen Z says. It’s catchy and reckless, scabbed but still bleeding — the kind of song that feels just as right yelled in a packed crowd as it does in your car with all the windows down.

CARR’s rise never followed the heteronormative societal standards (My Gender Studies degree is showing with that big word). After accidentally tumbling into music while working overnight studio shifts in Los Angeles, she’s now become one of alt-pop’s most entrancing forces — backed by DCD2 Records (Pete Wentz & Spencer Smith), celebrated for her honest-as-hell pen and a bite that rivals her shine. I’m literally turning into that meme of Bruno Mars and Pete Wentz except it is me and CARR. Touring with genre giants like Fall Out Boy, Bring Me the Horizon, and Hot Mulligan — plus storming When We Were Young Fest — has only amplified her voice in a scene that is practically foaming out the mouth for authenticity.

“Hardcore!” is the sound of someone refusing to dim their bright personality just to keep a half-assed lover comfortable and fill a void. It’s fierce, fast, and delightfully unhinged — proof that CARR being “too much” is exactly what makes her unforgettable.

If this is just the opening punch of the next era… and CARR is about to knock your teeth out.