Camp Howard - “Surprise”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 3

Pairs Well With…Smith Westerns, La Rosa Noir, The Dirty Projectors

Boldly opening their debut full-length with “Cañón”, also the name of the Richmond, Virginia quartet’s 2019 record, Camp Howard makes an early statement in support of their far-ranging indie rock sound. Western guitar riffs intersect the track’s dream pop air, twisting in prog-like winds and succeeding in washing together their complex songwriting. The rest of Cañón offers jangly mid-tempo grooves (“Don’t Say Shit You Don’t Mean”), bouncy, bilingual piano pop (“Surprise”), and bright psych rock (“Placid”), music that is constantly changing even within tight singles often coming in under three minutes. By being adventurous without spacing out, Camp Howard’s music bobs along like a steady river even amid the intricate melodic phrasing that defines the band’s sound. Camp Howard dropped an EP back in 2017 as well and Juice is looser, dreamier bedroom rock/pop vibe, so it’s encouraging seeing them make such a strong progression through Cañón and hopefully beyond. (Kevin McStravick)