Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Carbit
Hi there,
First of all, thanks a lot for giving us the chance to do this remote interview and introduce ourselves to you and your audience.
We’re Carbit, an independent rock band based in Iran and the Middle East. The band is made up of four friends: Farshid (vocals), Mohammad (guitar and composer), Vahid (bass and lyricist), and Amin (drums). You probably hear Iran’s name mostly in political news or international tensions, but behind all of that there’s an indie scene that’s fighting to stay alive. We’re grateful to be a small part of that young, stubborn, and real movement.
So w’ll jump into your questions.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Since we’re a four piece band, it’s kind of hard to go through each person’s story one by one, and honestly it might get a bit too long. But one thing we all share is that we grew up in the same part of south Tehran. It’s a very religious neighborhood, but in a weird way it’s also full of musicians and independent artists!
Our first memories of rock go back to early teenage years, when we didn’t really have internet and had to pass music around however we could, discovering new bands together. Eventually we all crossed paths and years after Carbit started taking shape. Farshid and Mohammad began the project, Vahid joined next, and later Amin came in as the drummer.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
It’s tough to answer this individually, but we’re basically a group of musicians who grew up listening to rock and staying close to the rock scene. That shared passion is what pulled us together. Each of us has our own taste and style, but rock has always been the thing that connected us.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
About a month ago, we released a track called “Migzare Mire,”. It’s out on all major streaming platforms.
Right now we’re working on a high energy track that we’re honestly really excited about. It’s called “Asabi,” which translates roughly to “ pissed off.” The song is about someone who’s completely furious and ready to explode on someone. We don’t try to explain why he’s angry or who caused it. The whole point is just showing that raw, intense feeling in a way that anyone can understand.
The production matches that energy too: heavy guitars, a punchy chorus, distorted textures, and some aggressive scream vocals.
We’ll be releasing it soon and we hope you give it a listen.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
That’s a great question.
Over the years, our influences, our individual playing styles, and our love for certain eras of rock have shaped what people now recognize as the “Carbit” sound. Our goal has always been that someone hears the first few seconds of a track and immediately knows it’s Carbit!
We aim for a solid, energetic rock sound with strong electronic elements. Synths, pads, and electronic textures are a big part of how we build atmosphere and character in our tracks.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Independent artists everywhere deal with the same problem: you’re doing everything on your own and you’re constantly worried about visibility. That often pushes artists toward trends or whatever works in the market.
But for us, the only thing that matters is making the music we genuinely love. That idea shaped us early on: make what feels true to you, and don’t force yourself into a box just because someone says you should.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Carbit’s core setup is a trio: electric guitar, drums, and bass.
But in our recordings we use lots of other sounds: piano, synths, different electronic textures. For example, in our track “Sa’at,” you can clearly hear how electronic atmosphere blends with the main instruments.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Amin: Orla Gartland.
Vahid: Les discrets
Mohammad: Blue noise trio
Farshid: Carbit
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Before anything else, we try to be good listeners. We explore a lot of genres and follow our tastes naturally, and all of that finds its way into our music.
But what matters most to us is finding a shared language. Whatever each of us plays has to express our personal styles, but also fit the character of the band. We think we’ve managed to do that well in different releases.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Since we write in Persian, it might be tricky for non-Persian speakers to connect with the lyrics through translation alone. Our themes usually revolve around intense human emotions: joy, sadness, fear, longing, frustration. These are things we’ve been feeling deeply in our daily lives and in this period of our country’s history, so naturally they show up in our songs.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Probably how essential teamwork is. We’ve been at this since 2019, and one of the biggest things we’ve learned is that a band only grows when every member matures, takes responsibility, and works toward the same goal.
We’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how to collaborate efficiently and support each other. That’s easily one of the biggest lessons Carbit has taught us.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Honestly, one of our biggest dreams is to perform at a major rock festival in our own country, for people who speak our language and share our stories. Right now that seems far away, but we hope the cultural and social situation changes so young Iranian musicians can experience that someday.
And like any indie rock band, we’d love to play at major festivals around the world someday too.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Amin:
Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance.
He shaped a huge part of my mindset as a teenager, and a lot of important moments in my life are tied to his work. It’s more of a dream than a realistic collaboration, but it means a lot.
Vahid:
I’d really love to collaborate with The Weeknd. I’ve always connected with the way he blends lyrics and melody — it feels natural, like they’re born together instead of one being built around the other. His production style and the textures in his sound are always exciting to me, and they’ve inspired a lot of my own ideas.
Mohammad:
Right now, I really wish I were in Alex Feder’s place, because he goes on stage with Linkin Park instead of their main guitarist and gets to experience all those huge performances alongside my favorite band.
Farshid:
It’s really hard for me to choose just one person, but if I want to be realistic, I’d pick Sirvan Khosravi, because he cares a lot about the quality of his work — both the studio versions and the live performances. Beautiful sounds, great lighting, and all the other details matter to him. He delivers the best he can, and that’s what I call respect for the audience.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music?
We try to stay as accessible and uptodate as possible. Our music is available on all major streaming platforms.
We’re also active on Instagram and YouTube. For example, this summer we did the first season of Carbit Streams, with 13 live sessions released.
We’re active on Telegram as well.
And honestly, streaming our music on platforms like Spotify is one of the biggest ways people can support us.
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
We recently started working on our first studio album, and we’re extremely excited about it. At this stage, our dream is to have the album come together the way we imagine and hopefully get support from local and international media like you, so we can reach a wider audience.
This new chapter feels really important to us. It might even shape our future as a band.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
In the end, like any genuine artist anywhere in the world, we hope our music reaches people beyond borders and labels.
We’re just a group of friends who’ve been playing together for years, trying to create something honest and meaningful. If listeners can feel that and connect with the emotions behind the songs, that means everything to us.
Thanks again for having us and for supporting independent bands like ours. It really means a lot to be featured on a platform that gives space to indie artists.
