caroline & Caroline Polachek Merge Pastoral Folk with Art Pop on “Tell me I never knew that”

London-based eight-piece caroline and Caroline Polachek pair lush acoustic layers with swirling, confessional lyrics and a lingering sense of emotional disorientation on “Tell me I never knew that,” the first single from the band’s sophomore album, ‘caroline 2.’

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“Tell me I never knew that” – caroline ft. Caroline Polachek

“The right time –” Caroline Polachek floats mid-sentence, her voice landing with its signature crystalline clarity.

It feels like we’re tuning into a private thought already in progress – like she’s letting us in on a secret half-formed, and it’s urgent. A looping acoustic guitar riff repeats throughout, steady and hypnotic, holding the listener down; the anchor of the song. Layers of vocals from both Polachek and caroline’s Jasper Llewellyn start to swirl and gather around it. The rhythm is delicate and winding, reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens’ picking patterns on Carrie and Lowell – easy to get lost in if you take your finger off its pulse. “Tell me I never knew that” is a song built on that very feeling – of being suspended in mid-air, grounded by repetition while everything around it quietly unravels.

caroline 2 - caroline — caroline 2 – caroline

The right time
I don’t even know if I’m alive
Know the right time
But I don’t wanna be somebody else
At the right time
Maybe I don’t wanna be anyone
At the right time
I don’t wanna be somebody else

How many are they?
I never told them
(Tell me, I never knew that)
Sink down, unfolding
(Tell me, I never knew that)
Don’t go, I’m holding
(Tell me, I never knew that)
Press on, press on him
(Tell me, I never knew that)
Two times I told them

A single off caroline’s recently released sophomore album caroline 2, “Tell me I never knew that” was originally written by members of the London-based eight-piece, with Polachek later contributing production and compositional elements. “We used to call this one ‘Backstreet boys’ because the opening top line felt like a Backstreet Boys song,” explains the band. What starts sparsely and slowly expands into lush and full-bodied world-building: Two overlapping vocal lines grow into a sweeping arrangement of strings, horns, and woodwinds.

“The main riff was written by Casper [Hughes] on acoustic guitar and stuck out as a really catchy, bouncy, hypnotic thing,” the group adds. “We wrote the opening top line together and straight away we thought ‘this sounds like a melody that Caroline Polachek might sing’ in its hooky-ness. We sort of joked that we’d ask her to sing it, but didn’t think it’d actually be on the cards, until about a year later when we sent her the half-finished song and she was up for it!”

Much of the production on this tune can be credited to Polachek, it seems; according to the band, “she wrote a load of extra parts that gave the whole thing such a lift,” improvising and collaborating late into the night in order to create the stunning architecture of the song. It builds with purpose, each new element slipping in almost unnoticed until the track comes to life fully.

As band members recall, “We were still recording at about 1.30am when we decided to call it, but there was no indication that [Polachek] was the slightest bit tired or that she had lost any momentum in her ability to sing, even though she’d been singing for about 6 hours. It was an inspiring thing to witness! We did a little bit more re-ordering together with [her] a few weeks after the session, and then the song was finally there.”

Lyrically, “Tell me I never knew that” sits in a space between clarity and confusion. It touches on themes of derealization, emotional static, and the pitfalls of too much self awareness. The lyrics feel fragmented, almost like two internal voices trading off lines. One moment stands out in particular: “I don’t even know if I’m alive / But I don’t wanna be somebody else (at the right time).” The delivery is soft, but the message cuts deep.

The track eventually settles back into stillness. Polachek leads the outro with a calm, mantra-like refrain – “It always has been / It always will be” – while Llewellyn circles back with the quiet reminder: “…at the right time.” It doesn’t end with resolution, but with acceptance.

“Tell me I never knew that” feels both grounded and otherworldly, drenched in emotion and deeper than it appears on the surface. It’s a rich, immersive listen, and a fitting offering to introduce caroline’s recently released sophomore album, caroline 2.