Summer + Camp = we know what ride we’re in for here. Or do we?
‘Fresh’ has been a great summer soundtrack that makes you feel like saying hi to everyone as you walk down the street. With that being the first release from the album, I was expecting a continued disco vibe on the record. However, I was pleasantly and disappointingly surprised.
Summer Camp are Elizabeth Sankey and Jeremy Warmsley who sleep together as well as sing together. Although this album starts with ‘The End’, it takes a few tracks to get into. There some similarities to Tennis and even Haim with nostalgic pop and 80’s synths. ‘Keep Falling’ and ‘Two Chords’ are understandably catchy. They’ve even got a track called ‘I Got You’ that’s much darker than the Sunny and Cher collaboration.
This record sees them team up with producer Stephen Street, who’s worked with some Britpop greats such as Blur and The Cranberries. He’s brought a slicker finish to this album than their debut, which means they’ve lost some of their rawness.
Sankey’s voice is faultless and perfect for this dreamy album. It’s melodic indie-pop that teeters on the edge of High School Musical. But they’ve got much more sincerity and it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. ‘Pink Summer’ ends the record with “it’s not how much you love / It’s how much you’re loved” which isn’t the Disney ending you’d expect from Summer Camp. But it’s this type of non-conformity that will keep them relevant.
7/10 – this record will help you cling on the memories of the hot summer that actually existed:
Summer Camp was released on Moshi Moshi Records on 9th September.
