ALBUM REVIEW: CAMCORDER - SUCK!
In 2015, alt-punk band ‘Camcorder’ released their debut EP ‘Manifest Misery'. A 12 minute selection of four fun and upbeat punk songs inspired by the likes of ‘Weezer’ and ‘Dinosaur Jr’. This week the band release their debut full length record ‘Suck!’ through Weather Girl Records.
Punk music is in a really good place at the moment. For the first time in years, hardcore bands are finally getting the recognition that they deserve and more traditional punk bands such as ‘Screech Bats’ and ‘Creeper’ are emerging all of the time. However, pop-punk has been trapped in a bit of a quagmire, there are notable exceptions, but for every ‘Knocked Loose’ there is a new ‘Green Day’ record which seems to have stripped all of the punk out of pop-punk. Thank god for bands like ‘Camcorder’, the new record is poppy enough to get away with mainstream radio play, but it is undoubtably a punk record.
Where the debut EP was four relatively simple songs, ‘Suck!’ is a varied and diverse piece which doesn’t shy away from experimentation. Track 2 ‘Evil Exceptional’ kicks off with a fantastic bass intro before moving into a fascinating yet infinitely catchy guitar riff and a very ‘Weezer’ inspired vocal hook. ‘Space’ takes the bands into surprisingly heavy territories, ‘Ashes’ is the slowest song on the album but steers clear of falling into the trap of the dreaded pop-punk ballad and features some fantastic backing vocals.
That is not to say that this album is pretentious in any way. The best word to describe ‘Suck!’ is fun. Opening track ‘Crave’ is so catchy and upbeat as is ‘Mexico’; this is an album written for sunny English afternoons in the park. The 90’s and early 00’s influences shine bright throughout the record, but it never seems dated and ‘Camcorder’ have provided a much needed breath of fresh air into a genre that was running stale.
7/10
Personal highlight: Track 5 ‘Space’ is considerably heavier than the rest of the album, but never feels out of place. It is an interesting insight into what direction the band may go to and the outro is one of the most interesting riffs on the album.
'Suck!' is out on April 9th 2018
