The Band CAMINO – NeverAlways (Atlantic) (13th Floor Album Review)
American rock band The Band CAMINO has released their third album this week, NeverAlways. Following their highly successful second album The Dark, NeverAlways is an evolution – both in sound and songwriting abilities. While they do revisit the spirit of some of their earlier work, NeverAlways feels like a fresher, more mature perspective.
HasJustBegun is an impressive opening to the album, setting the stage for a compelling record. Every decision feels deliberate, from the haunting bass line grooves to the subtle guitar melodies. Lead vocalist Jeffery Jordan shines from the outset as he sings about embracing new beginnings despite uncertainty and the feeling of thinking you’ve crossed paths with someone before. The primary themes of this album are growth and self-discovery, and the band invites listeners to experience that with them. Pieces echoes the idea of not loving the person you are if you’re forced to self-reflect – it’s interesting and likely relatable to many. In a society where life feels like a struggle for many, this drum-heavy second track hits home.
What You Can’t Have is witty, sarcastic and bittersweet, full of clever lyrical jibes and a tinge in Jordan’s voice that reflects that from the first line. Leaning on lyrics like ‘you play the victim with your finger on the trigger’ and ‘you’re an “I just can’t commit so call it quit-er”’, it’s an apt reflection of how it feels when someone suddenly wants to be with you – and you no longer reciprocate the feeling. The track is energetic and upbeat, with steady drums and blazing guitars – contradicting the lyrical sentiment. In that sense, it feels poppy – though that’s not a negative here.
Limbo starts slowly, with a piano that transitions into a heavy guitar and drum mixture. This combination echoes back to their previous styles, as the band leans into the familiar territory of romantic themes with a danceable tempo to back it up.
Baggy Jeans is one of the album’s highlights – and thematically feels like a continuation of What You Can’t Have, with its plays on words and catchy drum beats. Focusing on the idea that heartbreak is just a trend to experience (see ‘you dropped the guillotine over a coffee’ and ‘like it’s nothing to you / like it’s a normal afternoon’), it’s another example of NeverAlways at how masterful the storytelling is on this album. There’s also a tinge of sarcasm in the first verse, with the vocal delivery feeling like a combination of irony and vulnerability.
Can’t Go Back continues the trend of exploring confusing romantic entanglements. The first verse is predominantly phrased like a series of rhetorical questions, a representation of trying to figure out where something went wrong and what could have been changed.
Hates Me Yet (222) comes across as nuanced, intimate and almost trembling. Backed by synths and a quaking in Jordan’s voice during the chorus, it’s almost like a list of everything about a person – hobbies, favourite things and moments – that are left behind in someone’s memory after a relationship breakdown. It’s a painting of one of the most painful questions – whether to reconcile or not. Hates Me Yet (222) is definitely one of the album’s more emotional tracks in that sense.
Me Around You is slightly more hopeful, asking if the song’s subject can be vulnerable around the person they’re interested in. With an energetic backing and rhythmic drums leading into the band’s familiar tempo, there’s more of a sense of optimism in this track as the instrumentals are complimented rather than contrasted by the lyrics. Stupid Questions sprinkles electronica and percussion throughout, with the occasional guitar riff, it leans into those things we ask ourselves when we’re alone or don’t want to ask anyone else for fear of ridicule. As a result of its catchy, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and moments of vulnerability, it’s a track that any type of audience would likely find relatable.
Karaoke is yet again emotional. One of the closest to a traditional love song on the album, it touches on the idea of knowing that even if a relationship has ended, the person you were with will always be your person. With lyrics like ‘always you, I’ll find you in another life’, it’s a song full of yearning and desire, although from a distance. Featuring a touch of keys and low-key percussion, its a lean into rawness and honesty.
Unlike some of the songs on the album, there isn’t one defining moment in the bridge or the chorus – just a smooth transition into the explosive closer, Infinity. Heavy on psychedelic rock influences, Infinity feels like a return to The Band CAMINO’s sonic roots. It’s about cycles – seeing the end and the beginning as ‘part of the same door.’ Loud, shimmering and backgrounded by dramatic drums and percussion breaks, the nostalgic feeling emanating from the track is strong. The overwhelming sense is that this song is full of hope and something that can easily be danced to. Longtime fans will also recognise the song as being similar to earlier career hits like Daphne Blue and See Through.
NeverAlways honestly just doesn’t have a bad or unlistenable track. From their debut album back in 2021, The Band CAMINO have undoubtedly committed to improving their craft, and the result is very present here. Balancing emotional content with exciting production choices, they’ve created an album that’s both familiar and innovative.
Chantal Janice
NeverAlways is out now on Atlantic Records
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