There’s nothing casual about The Band CAMINO’s NeverAlways. The Nashville-based trio (Jeffery Jordan, Spencer Stewart, Garrison Burgess) take fans to new heights on their third studio album which arrived smack in the middle of summer. Packed with alternative anthems, NeverAlways is an explosion of colour and life in the band’s blossoming discography.
For the adults who aren’t ready to grow up just yet, “Pieces” is for you. Sometimes it’s easier to sit by as time slips away and promise to do better next year. “Wasted potential looks,” Jordan sings, “it looks so good on me” while Stewart harmonizes in the background, symbolizing that pesky voice in the back of your head. Paired with a slick bass that sounds like summer, “Pieces” is all the enabling you’re looking for.
“Wear this one out like it’s your favourite pair of Levi’s” is a hell of a way to introduce a new single and somehow it doesn’t prepare you for how intoxicating “Baggy Jeans” really is. With an opening instrumental that’s reminiscent of the start to The 1975’s “Love It If We Made It,” it’s sure to be a hit—and then the beat kicks in, one altogether different from the British indie anthem, and it explodes in the best way possible. Jordan and Stewart share the mic on this one, throwing line after line of clever word play back at one another. Jordan comes out blazing with “You dropped the guillotine over a coffee” as Stewart follows up in the chorus with “Like I was right before the groceries on the list of your to-do’s.” And can we say bonus points for somehow working a word like “lackadaisically” into a song?
To balance out the punchy, in-your-face tunes that steal the spotlight on this record, tracks six through eight show the guys’ vulnerable sides as they admit to their insecurities and explore the crushing weight of falling out of love. Later, just before the closer, “Karaoke” serves as a sweet ode to love lost overtop the strumming of an acoustic guitar.
It’s a bold move releasing the closing track as the lead single, but with high risk comes high reward—and isn’t the journey more important than the destination anyway? For the band, “‘Infinity’ was one of those guiding light songs that reminded us who we were and where we were going.” Here, they chase a literal and figurative high, never slowing down, always reaching for the stars. It’s the perfect culmination of the songs that come before—and if you like your albums going out with a bang, you won’t be disappointed with this one. At any rate, “Infinity” is well worth the wait, whether you’re a seasoned fan who heard it first at its midnight drop or you’re experiencing it for the first time with the album.
If you’re still looking for your song (or album) of the summer, The Band CAMINO has you covered. Turn up the volume, roll down the windows, and say hello to the moon.
The Band CAMINO will perform at History on November 9.