A year after its release the Band CAMINO’s debut is primed for rediscovery
This past Sept. 10 marked the one year anniversary of The Band CAMINO’s self-titled first full album. If I had found this album last September, who knows, maybe I would have had a better junior year. But this past summer I finally listened to the record in its entirety after previously listening to about three or four of their songs. Needless to say, I am now in love. I listen to this album weekly, if not daily, something that I haven’t done in a long time.
This album hits all the spots, even if you’re like me and have yet to experience a heartbreak. There’s just something to be said about listening to an album that embodies what it means to be in your twenties and trying to figure out who you are while simultaneously experiencing nostalgia and heartbreak. In spite of, or maybe even because of that, this album is a hopeful one, which seems to say, “Screw it, I’ll live and love big, despite what happens.”
This album is the alternative/pop-rock group’s first full-length after their previous two EPs and the several singles they have released in the past. According to Apple Music, this album “proves that [The Band CAMINO] are a band in the business of big feelings – and it feels good,” and I couldn’t agree more. The three-man band from Memphis provides a heartfelt list of fourteen tracks, with each song going harder or hitting deeper than the last.
TRACK BY TRACK:
The album starts out with the ironically optimistic “EVERYBODYDIES” and “Roses,” with drums and electro-pop beats that bring home the jaded youthfulness of living through tough times, i.e., growing up and figuring (sh)it out. “Roses” was my gateway drug into The Band Camino and would have remained my favorite song, if my favorite didn’t change every time I listen to the album, but it still holds a special place in my heart as the beginning of a fabulous album.
The next three tracks focus more on the struggles and joys of relationships. “Underneath My Skin” is a reflection on the person you just can’t stop going back to, the story you just can’t end and the promises they make but you still believe them every time. I consider this a sister song to a later track “Damage,” but I’m getting ahead. Track number four is one of my all time favorite TBC songs, “I think I like You.” A bop and a half, this bubbly and easy song is perfect for a little dance and a little crush. On the flipside, if you ever wanted to scream “you told me I would always be the only one” at your ex, might I interest you in track five, the bitter, bangin’ break-up anthem, “Know It All.” This one is a serious head-banger that I have definitely screamed along to in the shower.
Tracks six and seven are softer in sound, but heavier on the heart. “Who Do You Think You Are” makes you pause and look at your past self and wonder how the hell you ended up where you are now. A somewhat somber concept, but one I find tinged with a bittersweet nostalgia. “Sorry Mom” will hit if you struggle with familial relationships, but may lead to some reflection on those relationships. How they can hurt, but how you can still miss them because they were integral to the changes that shaped you.
“Just a Phase” and “1 Last Cigarette” are great angry tracks, pumping with frustration and angst. I personally find they hit the hardest when you’re confused at the world and sick of others living your life for you. The following track, “Song About You” was one of my songs of the summer, with a catchy chorus that circles around and around, stuck on the one you can’t get over. “Damage” focuses on loving someone so much that you’re willing to be second choice, to be used just to be held (not a sustainable love, but a consuming one).
“Look Up” is quite the standalone of the album, with it not focusing on heartbreak or anger, but on the isolation that a digital world brings. I most definitely rolled my eyes when first hearing this one, but there is a nugget of truth in the loss of human connection in favor of virtual connections. And then, track thirteen is what I view as the most heartbreaking song on the album. “Help Me Get Over You” is a plea to someone who has only hurt you by leaving you. “Even if you have to lie / There must be something you can do / Help me get over you” will never not hurt me. If you take nothing else away from my lengthy review, go listen to this song.
And finally, “Get It Your Way” eases you out of the album, after traveling the emotional highs and lows. The final track rounds up the old friends of “The Band CAMINO:” hurt, angst, bitterness and brutal honesty.
“The Band CAMINO” may just speak to my angsty tendencies, but I think it can be felt by anyone who has been hurt and struggles to forgive, or who feels angry and lost. It reminds us that those big feelings demand to be felt, and that it’s healthy to scream out your angst once in a while. Those big feelings will not be big forever, but the spaces they’ve left in our hearts will have stretched them for better loves and better lives.
