Summer Camp – Always

Sweet, Sweet Summertime

The return of 80’s pop—not exactly news. The Killers have been rocking synthesizers in the mainstream while Twin Shadow’s rule the underground with their own style of Reagan-era grooves, competing with Vivian Girls and The Drums. So is there room for yet another sun-drenched synth-pop band? London’s Summer Camp answers a definite “Yes” with their third record, Always. Released by Moshi Moshi Records (home of dance darling Lykke Li), Always features five tracks of infectious beats and shimmery vocals; imagine if Washed Out met Madonna. The duo blends sugary sweet melodies of their 2010 Young EP with the chilled-out vibe of 2011’s Welcome to Condale, producing a multi-faceted album that leaves listeners begging for more.

Thematically, Always reverses a typical summer love story. Elizabeth Sankey’s breathy delivery on opener “Life” evokes impassioned late-night devotion–-“And if the blackness closes in / I’ll be waiting here for you”–but by the end, she and bandmate Jeremy Warmsley chant the lusty lyrics, “Time is passing by / we’re gonna die so come on, come on, come on, give yourself to me.” Lovers regress from eternal vows to spontaneous play with a youthful, passionate spirit that flows throughout the album.

Most notably, Summer Camp does so without the expected slow-down, the heartbreaker ballad of most young love albums. “Hunt” jives like a girl-power/dance anthem and “City” stretches like a highway in August, chasing 7 o’clock summer shadows. For a band who once withheld their names, Summer Camp forces themselves into the limelight with an album this good. Every track could stand as a single, but together they create a powerful little record where each song is tight and exact, making the most out of 19 minutes – hardly enough.