“Hello, 1999!”
That’s the first thought that burst into my brain with the first notes of “Bobby,” the opening track and lead single of the Downtiming EP by Camp Trash. Released on the celebrated indie label Count Your Lucky Stars, this debut four-song project overflows with a strong and sarcastic blend of Get Up Kids and Gin Blossoms. Crunchy guitars, pop arrangements, and swinging hooks dance together with unabashed glee. Meanwhile, disaffected vocals and pissy lyrics keep everything grounded.
Imagine an adolescent sneer come to life, except it’s hiding a very sensitive heart. Plus, it’s not really sure who to trust. It might be one of the most quintessential distillations of the soundtrack to my college years into my early 20’s. I might have spun this EP more than 10 times in a row at work one day, just basking in the memories of my distant youth.
These songs immediately transported me back to the passenger seat of my buddy Lance’s car. Times when we spent hours and hours of time driving around Texas going to shows. They called to mind avoiding work, school, family, and any vestige of grownup responsibility as we chased our waning adolescence.
To be clear, I don’t think Camp Trash is making a cynical nostalgia play here.
The band is fully invested in honoring and updating the sort of guitar-based rock that’s been a staple of Midwestern acts for decades. The vintage emo production really sells it too. As flat snare punches, warm bass, and bright guitars complement the clean, double-tracked lead vocals.
My favorite tunes are “Sleepyhead” and “Weird Caroline.” With the former, the indie-pop jangle is in full effect as peppy syncopation in the drums. It creates a freewheeling effect atop call-outs to aspirin and Cherry Coke. While “Weird Caroline” features the hallmarks of a rousing set-closer. However, big energy and driving rhythm fuel a lament to lost love building toward an emotional catharsis.
Clocking in at a mere 12 minutes, the Downtiming EP by Camp Trash is fun, breezy, and lighthearted, but you also can’t ignore the undercurrent of trepidation about the future. Whimsical, whiny, witty, and wistful in all the right ways, it’s powered by the exuberance, indiscretions, and romances of youth.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, Pedro the Lion and Death Cab for Cutie are playing across town. I want to get a spot right up against the stage.