Camp Cope - Running With The Hurricane (March 25, 2022) • Page 4

Listening to this now and this feels spot on to me. The drums are way too low in the mix (seriously why are they so quiet), the bass is way too high, and the guitars sort of get lost in the background. Had the same issues with the last record. It’s a shame because the songs themselves are great.

 

Do they record live instead of track by track? It sounds that way, at least the instrumental parts.

Love the album, but I would love a more polished Camp Cope album down the line with similar production to Pleaser.

They gradually evolve with every release, so it’s possible for lp4

 

I think I heard they did most of the last record in one take. Georgia’s vocals were at least.

 

I swear "Sing Your Heart Out" is truly something else. Beautiful, beautiful record.

 

The songs are beautiful, but the bass playing / bass lines are too distracting and sometimes played very sloppy.
Less is more!

 

part of me kinda doesn’t wanna get too into it bc I feel like a lot of what I could say might be taken in the worst possible way lol, but I think there are probably some issues inherent to the band’s setup (namely, they’re a 3-piece in which the bassist is not necessarily focused on being in sync w the drums and is also using the instrument as a lead and not holding down the low end) that probably make it hard to get a great, full-sounding mix/production out of them. imo there’s just so little information in the low end that almost everything that isn’t bass or vocals end up sounding kinda thin and brittle to me. the cymbals are trashy in an unpleasant way to my ears, I felt like I had to turn it up a little louder than I usually listen to other stuff bc it felt a bit wimpy, but I had to kinda find a delicate balance with it bc if I turned it up too much it legitimately was hurting my ears in the treble frequencies (and it still wasn’t “hitting” right). there’s something about the way the drums and the bass interact that leaves a hollow space in the mix for me, it makes the drums sound almost, idk, disembodied from the rest of the mix. after this album ended, I immediately put the new Kevin Devine album on and it was an immediately stark contrast in terms of “fullness” in the sound, and the intro to the KDev record is literally just a soundscape/ambient noise.

I also think the performances could have been tighter all around, there are moments that are busy and the bass, in particular, is very active but one instrument or another feels like it is rushing or dragging so nothing feels like it lands cleanly on like the 1, and to me it just comes off messy and pulls me out of the song a bit. the title-track is one of the worst offenders in this regard for me personally, the bassline is really cool and busy but it never quite feels in time to me. now, with that said, on the more somber, slower-paced stuff a lot of these issues fall by the wayside to me. the songs with more space in them really really benefit from the breath that space gives them.

in the past I have definitely been pretty critical of this band (the bass playing in particular tbh), and probably not so much in the most productive manner, but genuinely I don’t mean to come off as hyper-critical of them here at all. I overall like the record quite a bit. I think in the future they could benefit from SOMETHING filling in that low end space. it doesn’t have to even be the bass really, Kelly clearly has her style and it obviously is a huge draw for many listeners, and I think fucking with that core element of their identity would probably be a mistake. but even if it’s just a low synth pad or some keyboard textures here and there, some atmosphere, something would be better than nothing, imo, just to round things out and fill that space. do I think it’s utterly necessary? no, they’ll likely get by without it as they have, but I do think if they keep going forward as-is I will probably always feel like something sounds “off” with their recorded material.

I have been pretty critical of the bass work in this band before, but I think it’s mostly pretty interesting here and usually melodically strong. the bass is clearly not trying to do what the bass is “supposed” to do, and I think that’s a cool dynamic! I also think busy bass work can be really really cool and enhance a song’s vibe (the new Nilüfer Yanya album for me has some great examples of this). to me, the parts are less a problem than the performances. I like when a record sounds loose and rough around the edges sometimes, but I think you have to get that equation right to not risk sounding sloppy or under-practiced. the band just doesn’t sound that tight to me here in certain spots.

 

I'm really glad I can still listen to an album and appreciate it for the lyrics and great vocals and cool arrangements and not spend the whole time thinking about, like, which frequencies in the cymbals should have been EQ'd differently

 

I am happy for you too lol thanks for the flex big boy

 

A bit disappointed with this after one listen, feels like a bit of a step down from the last one. Not nearly as interesting musically and the melodies/lyrics don't hit me as hard. I'm hoping it's a grower though.

 

I think their first two albums have some of their highest peaks in terms of song writing, but my first reaction after hearing this was that it was their best full album. Really excited to see how they continue to grow and expand on their sound, the first records really felt like the same sound so this feels so refreshing to hear from them.

 

Called it- Camp Cope: Running With the Hurricane

 

Thought this was cool/interesting:

"And then, ‘Sing Your Heart Out’, that song actually came about because Simon Little [Frightened Rabbit] sent me this line on piano, and I was like ‘Oh my god, I’m gonna make a song about this’.


It’s super special, because Frightened Rabbit are my favourite band in the entire world. A few years ago, about six months or so after Scott had died, I got an Instagram DM from Simon saying ‘Hey, you don’t know me but I play in Frightened Rabbit, I just wanted to let you know that me and Scott listened to Camp Cope one of the last times we hung out and he had a lot of nice things to say about it’. I’d just got off a plane in LAX and I just burst into tears. That band is so special, and me and Simon just developed a friendship after that. He’s an incredible person and an incredible musician, and he’ll send me these little recordings from time to time and I’ll try and make something out of them."

Camp Cope: "I feel like I’m a channel for the universe to express something and I can’t help it"

Spoke more about FR here too:
https://last-donut-of-the-night.let...rabbit-and-why-she-doesnt-like-her-solo-album

'Frightened Rabbit were one of those bands that were so emotive. You wouldn't put it on at a party. You put it on when you were listening to it by yourself. You either connect with them on a really deep level or you just don't understand, which is a really weird and rare thing. The emotions that he sung about were so universal and dark. He was such an amazing songwriter. I love his songs and his lyrics. I can't put my finger on it, and that's why he is so special. You can't listen to Frightened Rabbit and not feel something."

 

So very jealous of Kentucky now

 

I’m on the waiting list for Toronto, praying more tix go on sale

 

I'm still listening to this album almost daily. Screaming Planet is now my new favorite.

Anxiously awaiting a full tour announcement!

 

maybe ill try and hit union transfer

 

Woah Webster Hall, that's huge for them! Marking my calendar now

 

see ya in philly

 

Ughhh it’s like a 4 hour drive no matter which one I try to go to…

 

Only given this a handful of listens but hasn't immediately demanded my attention in the way their past two records did. Have others found it's a slow burn?

 

I prefer the last two records over this one

 

Same, I miss the grit and angst of the previous ones. I really really wanted to like this, but it just didn’t stick with me :/

 

Seeing them tonight!

 

So, tonight was phenomenal. Camp Cope do a great job of mixing older songs with newer ones, the energy and passion there throughout the entire set. I had gripes with being unable to hear the guitar but the mix improved over time. Getting to sway to “Lost (Season One)”, mine and my bf’s song, with him beside me was really special. It was a real celebration of music, growth, empowerment and solidarity, with special guests Courtney Barnett, Julia Jacklin, and Angie McMahon appearing through the night! They also had sign language interpreters on stage performing each track, which was really cool to see