Label: dblblk / Elektra Records
Released: 11th August 2023
Produced with razor-sharp precision, The Band CAMINO have returned with their second album ‘The Dark’, which feels inappropriately named due to the palpable excitement and spirit shaping each track.
Themes of love, relationships and intimacy persist throughout, as is true to the band’s discography to date. Staying true to their style but with added refinement, Spencer Stewart’s soft-yet-punchy vocals create a refreshing sound, loaded with a raw emotion. Stand-out tracks like ‘What Am I Missing’ and ‘Let It Happen’ create electrifying retellings of familiar angst and relationship breakdown but with a harder, sharper edge, taking the band’s pop-rock sound to the next level.
Combining the endearing lyricism of the Jonas Brothers and the playful bad-boy edge of The All American Rejects, the trio have found themselves within the sweet spot between rough and smooth. Designed to be anthemic and chart-hit-worthy, each song embraces dramatic swells and suspense-building guitar solo pauses.
Some tracks like ‘Afraid Of The Dark’ and ‘Novocaine’ may feel marginally formulaic, but you’ll have little time to critique this album while dancing to it with the speakers turned up full blast.
