Melbourne, Australia, power-emo trio CAMP COPE have released ‘Blue’, their new single and their first release in three and a half years. ‘Blue’ is also the first single taken from Camp Cope’s to-be-announced third album, the follow up to their critically acclaimed ARIA-nominated record ‘How to Socialise and Make Friends’ (2018). ‘Blue’ is out now through long-time labels Run For Cover and Poison City Records.
Camp Cope entered the studio during the pandemic, without the pressure of deadlines and global touring schedules, which allowed them to take their time and just create beautiful music. They, like many of us, were living in a whole new context – new jobs, new cities, and a completely altered outlook. When brought into the studio, it culminated into a change in gears for the three-piece.
‘Blue’ is recognisably Camp Cope, but a little softer, a bit more relaxed and much more refined. Georgia Maq’s vocals (“an instrument-turned weapon” – NPR) soar over finely layered harmonies, with Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich’s signature winding bass lines and Sarah Thompson’s flighting drums both underscoring the louder and framing the quieter moments. Ruminating on what it’s like to love through depression, and persevering while the world outside has other plans (“I put down your pain, but I’ll pick it up again / it’s all blue, that’s why I fit in with you”), ‘Blue’ is a calling card for acceptance, both in that external forces cannot fundamentally change what’s going on inside your head, and searching for peace amidst the chaos. It’s in the song’s quieter moments that it crashes down like a waterfall.
‘Blue’ is also a signal of what’s to come sonically from Camp Cope. Their highly-anticipated, as-yet-unannounced new album – and their most triumphant yet – will be out in 2022.
