Album review: Camp Cope – Running With The Hurricane

There’s a deceptive simplicity to the self-described “power emo” of Camp Cope. The gentleness of their third album, the kind usually only acoustic music has, might be written off as beige by a careless listener, or even as safe. In reality, however, it's still a risk – go too soft and slow, and it becomes about as interesting as plain porridge. However, the Melbourne trio remain miles away from that line. In spite of its softness, this is music that knows its own power yet wields it graciously, both sonically and lyrically.

Opener Caroline epitomises this beautifully, maintaining a gracious grit with its electric guitar strings being flicked like an acoustic underneath Georgia Maq’s warm Australian lilt. The one-two of One Wink At A Time and Blue are two halves of a country-rock coin, the former enrapturing with its hopeful introspection while latter picking up the pace with a stronger twang to match its soft yet steely determination.

Running With The Hurricane truly blossoms, however, when it shows a little more of its might. The modestly bold title-track braces itself for flight and then its cymbal crashes and intricate bassline send it soaring, as Georgia looks up to the sky and proclaims, 'Look out boys, I’m on fire and I’m not going out.' Elsewhere, Sing Your Heart Out begins life as an intimate piano ballad that builds into an epic, swelling finale, but one that still maintains all of the intricacy and attention to detail that makes this album so rewarding.

Even if, generically, it isn’t the easiest to pin down at first (and when did that really matter anyway?), look at this album’s liner notes and its release on Run For Cover Records makes enormous sense. Its fuzzy warmth and open-heartedness makes it a perfect fit. It’s music for the loveliest of golden summer evenings, but has a greater depth to it that reveals itself with more and more listens, as if it’s coming out of its own shell. And when it does, it’s nothing but wonderful.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Frank Turner, Modern Baseball, Citizen

Running With The Hurricane is released on March 25 via Run For Cover

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