THE BAND CAMINO’S ‘NEVERALWAYS’ – THE NEW COMING OF AGE SOUNDTRACK
ALBUM REVIEW | THE BAND CAMINO – NEVER ALWAYS by Jenna Laband
American indie rock trio The Band CAMINO’s ‘NeverAlways’ album feels like the perfect soundtrack to an upcoming coming-of-age rom-com, one that leaves you with that warm, fuzzy feeling. Despite their diverse range of upbeat and more low-key tracks, the 11-song album presents a series of unique yet cohesive tunes, curating a mental narrative for the listener to enjoy.
Kicking off the album with the entrance track ‘HasJustBegun’, the shortest song on the discography with a track time of 1:46. It serves as a perfect introduction, with a nostalgic reverb within its first few seconds – a signature feature throughout the album. It’s thoughtful elements such as this which make this album feel otherworldly, the way it teleports you to a different place in time, becoming the soundtrack to life you didn’t know you needed. We then shift into upbeat 2000s indie anthem ‘Pieces’, transporting us to road trips at sunset with the wind through your hair. This energetic track captures all the teenage summer vibes with its rock-pop twist, recognisable from the very first beat.
The band CAMINO then introduces a country-pop fusion with ‘What You Can’t Have’, a bouncy track exploring the push and pull of romance. The key lyric “You only want me ‘cause you want what you can’t have” emphasises this feeling of realisation, soundtracking the removal of those ‘rose-tinted glasses’ – something I’m sure many can relate to.
‘Limbo’ then takes us down a notch, starting as a slow-moving ballad before the beat drops and tempo picks up, delivering what we have come to expect from the band. This leads us into ‘Baggy Jeans’, a prereleased track which offered a glimpse of the album’s distinct sound before its full release. ‘Baggy Jeans’ reintroduces the nostalgic reverb and indie pop beats, transporting us to the carefree teenage summer vibes. Perhaps ironically, given the uptempo shift, this song embodies a crash of emotion toward a seemingly unexpected breakup; “Like I was right before the groceries in a list of your to-dos”, summing up the frustration of the song.
The album then takes a step back from the dance tunes, presenting us with ‘Cant Go Back’. This laid-back track provides a reflective break from the faster-paced songs, mirroring the album’s undeniable cinematic quality by shifting us from moments of high external noise to times of high internal noise and introspection.
‘Hates Me Yet (222)’ continues these moments of solitude as the lyrics capture the feeling of falling out of love. The gentle guitar and steady vocals help bring attention to the onslaught of thought proposed by the labyrinth-esque lyric structure. The repeated line, “she loves”, embodies the feeling of knowing someone “like nobody else” and the constant reminders you get of a person post-breakup. Followed by, “Love hurts the worst when you fall out of it”, ‘Hates Me Yet (222)’ takes us to those ‘what if’ moments we can all relate to.
‘Me Around You’ then guides us into a turning point from the preceding songs, beginning slowly but picking up momentum as you reach the chorus. With ‘Stupid Questions’, the ethereal haze of a 2000s rom-com returns, embodying a similar vein of spiralling overthought to previous ‘Hates Me Yet (222)‘. The song itself is comprised of a list of questions, the standout being “Do you ever think we could’ve worked out?” – continuing from the breakup experience in ‘Baggy Jeans’.
‘Karaoke’ then brings us back down, a slow yet triumphant song that stands apart from the album while unifying the psychological narrative. Taking us to the moment in the movie where everything just falls into place – the classic scene where the characters fall in love and slow dance at prom. Closing the album with ‘Infinity’, The Band CAMINO ends the album on a huge high, combining familiar guitar riffs and vocal reverb in a dynamic stream of beat drops, which bring waves of serotonin each time.
Ending with the track which kicked off the ‘NeverAlways’ era, ‘Infinity’ acts as the full circle end credit scene of the album. Offering a montage of all of the classic CAMINO sounds to leave the listener with the biggest ‘main character energy’. The perfect serotonin boost of indie pop-rock, ‘NeverAlways‘ was made to be experienced, danced to, and felt on more than just a surface level.
NeverAlways is set for release Friday 25th July – Pre-order here.
