Album: Lavender Days
Artist: Caamp
Release Date: June 24, 2022
Runtime: 39 minutes 31 seconds
Label: Mom+Pop
Rating: A-
“Lavender Days'' is Caamp’s third studio album. It was released as the band concluded their tour with fellow folk band The Lumineers on June 17.
The album is true to their sound of acoustic guitar and banjo, while still being different from every other album the band has put out. Despite this, “Lavender Days” is somewhat lacking in variety between songs due to their heavy use of acoustic guitar and consistent strumming pattern.
Caamp's self-titled debut album, released in 2016, sounds much more like a small production, meaning that you can hear smaller details like the echo of their instruments in the studio. "Lavender Days'' does not have these smaller details. Instead it sounds like a large production in a large studio, with more instruments present than in previous albums. Songs like "The Otter" feature a tambourine and stomping and clapping when, in previous albums, they would only have drums, if any percussion at all.
The subject matter throughout the entire album is someone longing for a love that they no longer have. Songs like “All My Lonesome” and “Lavender Girl” highlight this theme with lines like “I’ll find you over again” and “Lavender girl, take me back to the start”.
The song “Light” offers a different perspective on this theme. At first glance, it sounds like someone who is in the process of falling in love and wants to get to know the person as quickly as possible. However, the lines “I will love you darlin’, ‘til the very end / Sorry it took so long to say it,” offers a contrast to that, opening up the possibility that the song is about someone who was not willing to fall in love and regrets it in the end because of their belated apology.
The latter theory is helped by the fact that "Light" is the track right after "All My Lonesome", showing the listener that the whole album is about a lost love.
"Garden Song" introduces a new development on this theme. The song introduces another person into the life of the songwriter. This track shows how they are not ready to move on from their lost love. The lyrics tell a story of how the new person and the songwriter have gotten to know each other and share parts of their lives together.
While the songwriter likes this new person, they are not allowing themselves to fall for this person, highlighted by the line "But you do not know", which is followed by "You think you're falling for me". The use of the word "think" shows that the songwriter is trying to deflect any attachment to them, not fully accepting the fact that they could be falling for them.
I believe that they did a very good at job at keeping a consistent theme throughout the album. They chose a theme that most people can relate to in some way and I believe that it will only help them and their album's appeal when looking back on it in the future.
“Lavender Days” is a new adventure for the young band, full of new creative ventures and sounds. Caamp is on tour now to celebrate the release of their new album. However, they are not coming near Columbia.
Overall, Caamp’s third studio album has enough songs for most people to enjoy, whether you're playing it while on a hike, around a campfire or just lounging around - there is something for everybody to enjoy.