Campfire Social – Everything Changed (2021)
Campfire Social are not giving you a moment to rest with their latest EP Everything Changed. With six dynamic tracks, the EP takes you on a journey through hopeful vibes, farewells to innocence and loss. The path set out through the EP takes you from one season to another and over desolate wastelands while you enjoy every moment.
The EP is a step forward for the band who seem to know exactly which direction they now want to head in. Thomas Hyndman (guitar, vocals), Christopher Hembrough-Done (guitar, vocals), Carrie Hyndman (keys, vocals), Rhys Mather (bass) and Ben Matthews (drums) take you on this journey with melodies bursting with richness. Their honest approach to each topic covered creates a refreshing soundscape and listening experience.
The title track ‘Everything Changed’ opens the EP with a call to arms for the hopeful. This call shivers through your chest from the opening guitar line that builds a feeling of hope and passion in your chest. There is a sense of awe in the vocals that is tempered by a feeling of sadness and the wait for the other shoe to drop. There is a stretching feeling woven into the emotions of the track as you reach out for something good while knowing that it is just out of reach. The increase in the tempo of the music turns everything as you get a serious burst of hope and happiness.
‘It’s Not Goodbye (To Those We Left Behind)’ has a more upbeat vibe from the very start. There is an almost plucky feeling to the music that instantly puts a smile on your face. This takes a dip for a touch of melancholy brought to light with some rather folky vocals. The guitar riffs in this song really capture your senses as they send you flying through the soundscape. This is wonderfully countered by the more down to earth vocals that bring a hit of reality. The harmonised vocals give the song a touch of dreaminess while offering a connection. The horns that bubble up from the depths later in the song are wonderful as they wallow in the emotions of the vocals.
The progressive opening of ‘Awake in the Wake of a Wave’ is wonderfully soft like the icy waves lapping against your feet as you walk on the beach. The melody has an early morning feeling to it like the world is just waking and the dawn gently spreads across the landscape. Matching this awakening of the world, the vocals bring a realisation and understanding of self through the lyrics. The music takes a serious turn later for a really upbeat vibe that makes you want to dance around with them. This is a little at odds with the lyrics as they detail leaving and not belonging. The music in the second half of the track is really infectious.
The next track is ‘Speak Louder’ which draws you in with a drumbeat and light acoustic guitar. There is a higher tone that threads through the top layers of the melody while the vocals gently speak to you. There is an intimate feeling to the vocals that is washed by the expansive vibe of the music. The melody has your mind soaring out in all directions while the vocals keep you in a cosy warmth. This is a wonderful continuation of the duality that has been part of every track on the EP.
‘On the Subject of Death’ brings the sadness and heartbreak that the title leads you to imagine. The opening has a misty feeling of melancholy to it. This is enhanced by the vocals that are tinged with heartbreak, grief and a feeling of endless sadness. This is potentially the most emotional track of the EP as it puts a knot in your throat as you sink into the sadness. The guitar notes have a subdued mourning while the vocals sound like they are on the verge of breaking at all times. Later in the track, there is a swell of tones that only enhances the heartbreak of the vocals.
The EP comes to an end with ‘Wherever You Rest Your Head’ which offers a farewell to innocence. This is actually a perfect way to bring the EP to a close as you have worked through a range of emotions in the other tracks. There is a more upbeat vibe to the music that brings a youthful energy to the song. The lively energy of the music takes a dip later in the track before slowly picking up again. The harmonised backing vocals are wonderful and add a sense of universality to the emotions of the song. The rise and fall of the melody is a wonderful representation of life and the movement of our emotions.
Campfire Social use six very different tracks to take you on a rollercoaster of emotions in their EP Everything Changed. From throat-closing sadness to a loss of youthful innocence and an understanding of self, they use honest lyrics and emotive vocals to captivate you. Each song is outstanding on its own, but together they form a wonderful EP that makes you excited about what else the band can bring.
Find out more about Campfire Social on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
