#camens

Since breaking their release hiatus last year with ‘Poltergeist’, the upcoming indie group Camens have steadily been on a roll ever since, wielding hit after hit in ‘I Concede To Worrying’ to ‘Jacket Weather.’ All of which building over 130,000 plays on Spotify, it’s continually a surprise with each new release that Camens haven’t long since rapidly taken off as they continue to boast new releases with an indie-twang undeniably their own and sure to appeal to the masses if given the chance to be heard. Now with another sure-fire eccentric burst of energy, ‘On The Walk From The Picturehouse’ adds a gripping addition to their discography you didn’t know you needed, but with Camens constantly one-upping everything they do it’s no surprise this single is another addictive slice of their loveable sound.

Bright and emphatic, ‘On The Walk From The Picturehouse’ slots right into Camens’ staple indie sound like a missing puzzle piece, immediately lifting spirits and warmly tinging with nostalgia you can’t help but feel good looking back on. Easy-going drum beats and a colourful electric guitar riff introduce ‘On The Walk From The Picturehouse’, carrying a bouncy flair that’ll easily get you swaying along if not dancing from the get-go. Added guitar strums build-up the verse further, creating an atmosphere of pure bliss and feel-good tones that only continue to build the longer your listen. Bursting into a chorus’ that sees every instrument intertwining together at full force and volume while charged by their continually thundering riff, it’s hard to not get on your feet and start singing along, especially when Camens’ have lyrical hook after hook for you to sink your teeth into. Their vocalist delivers every line with a charm that never falters either, soaked in a rich depth and stand-out tone that’s the cherry on top of everything Camens’ do. From nods to ‘60s pop as well as the band’s typical alt-guitar front-and-centre, Camens’ continue to craft works that feel familiar but very much their own approach, and the three and a half minute journey of ‘On The Walk From The Picturehouse’ just proves why Camens’ are deserving of an audience that’s arena-filling.

Camens love to lyrically paint a picture for you to transport yourself within, and ‘On The Walk From The Picturehouse’ is no different, vibrantly setting the scene as though you were unfolding the pages of a gripping novel with every line. Filled with those first-time-meeting butterflies and the promise of a budding romance, Camens write of seeing someone you like while still discovering whether you’re truly a match made to be, comparable to a film trailer that depicts all their best bits before the movie tells the full whirlwind of events that you can never quite predict. Always thought-provoking in how they unravel their tales, Camens bear lines like ‘I put you on a par with the books I’ve never read and the films I’ve never seen’ that almost feel almost double-edged in how they could be perceived, leaving you wondering whether the mystery of this new partner is something alluring or off-putting in opening-up and allowing yourself to take the plunge. As the chorus takes an even further cinematic extension, Camens’ leave you romanticising those thrilling moments of mundane that make you feel like the main character in a rom-com for one night only: ‘on the walk from the picturehouse… the heavens they opened, and I raced you back to my car.’ Bundling in their feelings with these poignant lines, Camens constantly create music that’s not just there to grace your ears but also be a piece of art that’ll have you thinking for a long time to come, reflecting upon lines scattered throughout like ‘perception has a habit of changing depending on your point of view’. Press play and take yourself along with Camens’ on this exciting romantic journey as there’s not a moment of ‘On The Walk From The Picturehouse’ that won’t enthral you both in sound and their abundance of striking hooks, you certainly won’t regret going along for the ride.

When discussing the aforementioned 'Jacket Weather', songwriter Scott reflects “I love the idea of creating worlds with words and then trying to pick the listener up and take them there.” This approach bleeds further into the storytelling of Picturehouse, but now it feels fully realised and undoubtably the work of Camens’.

Check out ‘On The Walk From The Picturehouse’ for yourself here to delve beneath the exciting soundscape of Camens’ indie-rock flourish and enjoy a cinematic taste of romance

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown

Tumbling through 2022 with hit after hit, the upcoming indie-rockers Camens have made quite the impression on the Stoke-on-Trent music scene as well as racking up a growing fanbase online. With their last three singles ‘Poltergeist’, ‘Illustrator’ and ‘I Concede To Worrying’ building over 130,000 plays on Spotify, not to mention both national and international radio support, this four-piece have set expectations high and only continue to surpass them each time. As well as their smashing tracks, Camens have been gigging across the country including national tour support slots with Black Kids and upcoming sold-out support slots with Scouting For Girls, on top of completing their own UK tour last October. Now sharing their latest single ‘Jacket Weather’, Camens continue to show why they’re shining so brightly and they aren’t slowing down anytime soon.

A driving beat propels you straight into ‘Jacket Weather’ from pressing play, bursting with a speeding pacing that can’t help but raise your adrenaline and pump you up for what feels like the start of one exciting journey of self-discovery infused into an indie-rock sound you can’t help but instantly love. A funky guitar riff adds an emphatically bright edge to the sound, accompanied by a bassline that adds some much needed smoky depth, all together plummeting into a narrative of full-force and cathartically uplifting tones. The chorus lights up the track even further, pushing the volume and diving into the instrumental charm with an even groovier riff that feels like a personal serenade. As the track pushes on forward it only grows more electric by the minute, progressively building and constantly exploding into new avenues that’ll hook you without even trying too hard. Their vocalist harbours an edge of much-needed charisma for the delivery atop it all, reigning in an endearingly cheery tone and quickly-sung lines pleading that you sing along too. Sitting at two-and-a-half minutes, ‘Jacket Weather’ is a short bundle of joy that earns its right to be played on repeat, wielding a sound that’s nailed indie-rock to a tee whilst flavoured by Camens’ constant flair and individuality that’ll see them going places.

Transporting you away from the monotonous realities of life and bleak skies, ‘Jacket Weather’ comes soaring in with a shining narrative of sunny days on the concrete of the LA river, spilling from the seams with a story of star-crossed young Americans falling in love with not just each other but also their lives. Completely poor but carefree in each others company, ‘Jacket Weather’ is a thrill-seeking adventure that makes the most of each day, especially when in the company of someone who makes you truly appreciate what it’s like to be alive. Noting the little things like being ‘barefoot on the floor’, Camens’ lyricism paints a warm image both in youthful spirit and in the sunny aura it exerts, taking you back to days of playfully charging the streets without a care in the world. Revolving around those fleeting moments of not needing your jacket, ‘Jacket Weather’ beneath it all promotes finding the beauty in the everyday and taking advantage of those glimmers of light that shine through the darkness, with the band adding that “It’s nice now, it will rain again eventually.” The chorus hook that rings throughout feels the most vivid and in part melancholic though, as ‘this isn’t jacket weather anymore’ reminds of both the light and the dark that seeps through, as well as the motivation to find your own respite whether it be tumbling through the streets under sunny skies or under an umbrella beside a person who makes you feel reckless and filled with life despite the dreariness of life - because really, we all know the weather is just a reference to the bumps that come with simply being human.

Adding to their thought-process behind the release, Camens add “I love the idea of creating worlds with words and then trying to pick the listener up and take them there. One of my favourite songwriters Ray Davies was great at this. When you listen to ‘Waterloo Sunset’ or ‘Dead End Street’ you're transported to those places. I can imagine the sound of the Thames or the East End cold air.”

Check out ‘Jacket Weather’ for yourself here to appreciate the gorgeously bright tones of Camens’ electric sound as well as a message you won’t be able to stop singing along to!

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown

Racking up over 50,000 plays on Spotify with their two most recent singles ‘Poltergeist’ and ‘Illustrator’, the highly anticipated up-comers Camens are taking the indie-rock scene by storm. As they’ve already garnered several national tour support slots with Florida indie darlings Black Kids and a clutch of sold out support slots with Scouting For Girls, followed by their own UK tour in October, it’s clear that Camens aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Now returning with their latest addition to this vastly impressive discography, ‘I Concede to Worrying’ continues to show off every reason that Camens will be a name you’re hearing more and more as they continue to rise.

Cutting out an intro and instead setting off into things right from pressing play, ‘I Concede to Worrying’ immediately boasts an atmospherically gripping lead in sound, feeling easy to listen to and nod along without ever hearing it before. With a delicate electric guitar riff paired beside clean vocals, an air of intimacy is established at once but soon feels more vast and resonant with the addition of a striking vibrant beat. Things continue to pick up with an anthemic chorus, showing off quick drum beats and the emphatic guitar riff still lurking in the background beneath the drums sensational impact. Such a colourful sound is pulled together by their vocalist’s soaringly bright delivery, adding an extra pep to the track’s bouncy instrumentals with his glaringly impressive charisma. All of this is not without one hell of a bridge, building upon the track’s evolution by taking a moment solely for the instrumentals to shine before bursting into an absolutely haunting section of poignance. Confidently delivered lines force their way to the front of your mind, ringing out beside such prominent drum hits. Perhaps the most impressive part of the soundscape of ‘I Concede to Worrying’ is how diligently it offers a shimmeringly beautiful sound, laced with great energy and thrills, yet masking a darker matter below its sound of such ease.

Written with a mass of meaningful direction that may be missed upon first (or many) listens, ‘I Concede to Worrying’ is not a politically charged song by any means, but also not one that shies away from criticising a system that leaves its people rinsed of everything they have. With nods towards the current state of the UK, Camens acknowledge (with ambiguity) how many are forced to live within perpetual worry and insecurity as their life is consumed by working to cover endlessly raising bills rather than live their lives to the fullest. Although there’s no direct mentions or explicitly political comments, much of the resonance of ‘I Concede to Worrying’ comes within how it relates to your situation at hand, offering a helpful reassurance that you’ll make it through even the darkest of days. Some poignant yet simple lines like ‘I think I’m the coffee in cafes, and conversations with strangers’ hold a great depth too, as though life’s beauty resides in the simplest of things that seem to be stripped away in an age of constantly working rather than with time to relax, explore or enrich your relationships, challenging the listener to find their value once again. As the chorus hook stands with an air of hope, ‘I concede to worrying but honestly there’s no need’, Camens seem to be optimistically looking forward with wishes of things to change - as well as urging their audience also be hopeful and be apart of change to come.

Check out ‘I Concede to Worrying’ for yourself here if Camens insightfully written lyrical message and vibrantly perfected sound is something you want to hear before they surely take off!

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown

Stoke-On-Trent’s newest indie-rock group Camens are quite the music industry enigma. From their tales of sneaking into Latitude Festival in a food van, to purchasing a caravan for their shows at Boardmasters and Green Man, this four-piece make for quite the interesting band before even needing to listen to their work. With masses of other obscure experiences, Camens authenticity radiates even before you know nothing of them, as this determined group continue onwards through their plentiful bad luck and cheek to make their name rightfully heard and known. With their critically acclaimed past singles 'Danny Devito' and 2020's 'Handbrake', it would seem the band are well-deserving of such praise.

Since their past release at the height of UK lockdown, things have been rather quiet from this bashful group, but now gracing our ears once again ‘Poltergeist’ serves up the latest, and honed to perfection sound, of Camens. An immediate, haunting electric guitar riff leads us into this whirlwind of fiery thrills, at first only paired with intimate, echoey vocals that certainly do an exceptional job at building suspense for the anticipated rise of energy - and Camens know not to leave you waiting too long. Thundering drums and a deep bassline flow beautifully among the soundscape, somehow creating the perfect balance between high-energy whilst leaving every instrumental to flourish with it’s own clean, cohesive sound. With a riff that evolves and fluctuates throughout, rising and flowing for every instrumental pause or dash of adrenaline, it’s almost unavoidable to be hooked on their sound and wanting to hear ‘Poltergeist’ one more time. Their bold, peppy vocals are the absolute gel that pulls together such an incredible track, commandeering the atmosphere with an infectiously personable attitude and gripping tone that sells the single all by itself.

Such a meticulously formed soundscape is a rarity, but perhaps even rarer are lyrics that hold their own weight in value, and Camens have absolutely nailed both. From our own interpretation of the words, ‘Poltergeist’ seems to depict a protagonist accidentally swerving off the road and coming back to haunt their lover in the afterlife, leaving perhaps the entire relationship haunted in mind and body in the aftermath of their death. With much of the narrative poetic in it’s own right, lines like ‘I swore that I'd love you until the day you die. It’s colourless outside and there's no sign of life. I'm your poltergeist, I'm your poltergeist, tonight’ make every listen utterly captivating to unfold and understand the story at hand with such profound delivery. Even so much as the little details, like the protagonist’s world turning literally ‘colourless’ because of both their death and the sadness that comes with the inability to speak or even hold their partner just one more time, serves as a reminder that Camens are beyond capable of authentic, original stories to pair with a soundscape to match. With their cautious warning under the surface of these lyrics to drive a little safer, and make sure you get home to your loved ones, Camens have wonderfully interwoven this unique tale with a real-life message to take away. As you’d expect, there’s an underlying melancholia buried amongst this storytelling, but you’d perhaps not pick up on the true darkness of this tale if you weren’t to look a little deeper, yet with such multifaceted ways to interpret every line in your own way Camens have certainly created a song that’s something to rave about.

Give ‘Poltergeist’ a listen for yourself here, as we’re sure Camens are set to be one of the most promising upcoming bands with their striking, anthemic sound and lyrical poignancy that’s ironically to die for.

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown