Camp Cope: Running With the Hurricane (Run for Cover) - review | Under the Radar Magazine Under the Radar | Music Blog for the Indie Music Magazine
Monday, December 11th, 2023  

Camp Cope

Running With the Hurricane

Run for Cover

Mar 23, 2022 Issue #69 - 20th Anniversary Issue Bookmark and Share


Melbourne trio Camp Cope made their names on feverish indie rock, exploring melancholy and anger in equal measure, but they’ve also already begun pushing at those boundaries. Frontwoman Georgia Maq followed their 2018 breakthrough with a solo record of shimmering synth pop, and the band’s latest evolution shares that same wistful core. Whereas their previous record opened with acerbic lyricism and screams, Running With the Hurricane opens with “Caroline,” a softly thrumming ballad featuring gently swelling melodies and starry-eyed lyrical gems.

Much of the record operates in this same warmhearted lane, coloring the band’s usual intensity with shades of 2000s radio rock and ’90s country. Maq’s vocals are joined with sweet harmonies on tracks like “Blue” and “Jealous,” while the rollicking title track is burnished by jangling saloon pianos. Even the band’s softer material sees new additions, offering fresh depth to their most intimate moments, such as the resonant horns coloring “One Wink At a Time” and the soaring piano balladry of “Sing Your Heart Out.”

Amidst all of the album’s polished beauties, the band does lose some of their previous intensity. Though there are a few bursts of freewheeling euphoria, there’s no moment as meteoric as Maq’s iconic “Show em’ Kelly” on “The Opener.” Still, the band’s fundamental elements continue to shine. Georgia Maq’s voice is one of the best in indie rock, but equally central are Kelly-Dawn Helmrich’s loping melodic basslines and Sarah Thompson’s steady drumming. When they all come together, the results are truly special, and Running With the Hurricane offers enticing glimpses of a more settled band, one teeming with soft hope and resolute joy. (www.campcope.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10

Rate this album
Average reader rating: 5/10



Comments

Submit your comment

Name Required

Email Required, will not be published

URL

Remember my personal information
Notify me of follow-up comments?

Please enter the word you see in the image below:

There are no comments for this entry yet.