Guest review by Captain’s Bar events manager, Say Something Music label owner and promoter Scott Evans
Eight months after their last release, Camens are back with the release of their new single Cynical – the lead record from their much anticipated album Work/Life/Balance, due out early May.
Releasing tunes since 2017, it’s surprisingly the four-piece’s debut LP, having spent the past few years building up a local fan base with their electric live shows and impressive national tour slots supporting the likes of Black Kids, Scouting for Girls, The Snuts and The Sherlocks to name a few.
Cynical is a really pivotal single both for Camens and Stoke-on-Trent. They are releasing their album at a time when festivals and charts are dominated with solo acts, a huge percentage of them female, but the band have worked hard perfecting their craft both live and in the studio which has resulted in a built up anticipation of what is coming from them.
An eight-month gap for a lot of artists would mean dwindling streaming numbers, but not for Camens who have kept an impressive digital presence whilst tucked away recording.
So will it all be worth the wait? Well if Cynical is anything to go by the answer will be a firm yes.
A full on indie anthem, Cynical is bathed in 90s influences with a real raw energy to it. The chorus delivers a real punch, with the refrain of ‘don’t mean to be cynical like you’ the vocals provided by Scott are delivered with a real sense of venom, bitterness and regret.
From the lyrics it’s not hard to get that this is a breakup song and as the band describes it: “Cynical was derived from a love fizzled out. Capturing the notion of magic fading through a love gone quiet, a loss of conversation and the idea of going through the motions drifting on sofas and at dinner tables.”
All the band members have delivered a great performance but the guitar work in particular from Josh and Corbs is fantastic throughout the whole track, both sound wise and performance – the solo is sublime.
From the outset Luke on the drums provide a pounding solid backdrop to the song, again not too dissimilar from something you would hear in the 90s with the bass glueing it all together giving a great rhythm to the song . It really is a great record and the band’s most polished to date, which bodes well for the album. Overall the songwriting is mature and is clearly delivered from a band at the height of their craft.
I can only echo the importance of this song/album/band for our city. Loyal fans will not be disappointed and new listeners will love the energy of the track. It’s a real statement of intent from Camens that promises the album LIFE/WORK/BALANCE will well be worth the wait.
Released January 26, 2024, listen to Cynical by Camens here:
