Atlanta has rediscovered its indie rock strut. The emergence throughout the past half-decade of Deerhunter, Black Lips, and Gentlemen Jesse as national heavyweights did more than just raise the city's outside profile: It sparked a fire underneath the underground Atlanta's collective fanny. Soon, a new crop of budding musicians began to recognize that there was indeed life beyond Little Five Points. These kids were no longer simply satisfied with the dwindling East Lake house-show circuit or the possibility of a monthly slot at the Earl. They wanted more. Carnivores is part of this rising generation of fresh-faced Atlanta bands (along with Balkans, the N.E.C., and Mermaids) who have been taking notes — and learning from their elders' mistakes. "We all realized," says guitarist and vocalist Nathaniel Higgins, "that a lot of [bands] fall into what we call the Atlanta syndrome. They never tour enough to support themselves, and they just stay stuck in Atlanta. Deerhunter and the Black Lips [toured] really hard. If you work at it enough, things can happen."
