Winston-Salem’s The Camel City Blackouts are back with their second EP of 2021, and it’s a doozy. I really enjoyed their first pandemic EP, 13, when I heard it. Wild Card, their new offering, builds on the quality of 13 and raises the stakes. This time around, we’re treated to three brand new tracks that immediately put me in the mind of what would happen if Our Lady Peace, Spacehog, and Alkaline Trio got together and formed a super group.
Mark my words, The Camel City Blackouts are on the verge of exploding. When a DIY band has that much talent and hustle, there’s just no stopping them. You might as well join in on the fun now so that you don’t miss out!
To celebrate the release of their new EP, Camel City Blackouts’ Ryan Sizemore stopped by to wax poetic about his favorite, overrated, and underrated album picks. Take a gander below to see if you agree with his picks. Then, after reading, go check out Wild Card.
Favorite Album
“Heavens, Patent Pending. I love this album! Its dark, depressing, and the instrumentation still gives me euphoria. All the songs on Patent Pending paint these slow burning tragedies that are rich in melody and contain strong lyrical content. I am a huge Alkaline Trio fan, but this is by far my favorite thing Skiba has ever done. Patent Pending is like your coziest jacket on a cold day. Don’t believe me? Check out the songs “Heather,” “Another Night,” and “Leave.”
Overrated Album
“The Misfits, Famous Monsters. I love the Misfits, but I am not a fan of anything after Danzig left. This album I chose because my friends rave about it so much to this day. To me, it lacked the evil that Danzig brought and replaced it with a shell of what once was. It did not feel dangerous, and the lyrics weren’t shocking like The Misfits of before. This incarnation of The Misfits was best left in the grave.”
Underrated Album
“Rancid, Trouble Maker. This album brought me back to loving Rancid again. Trouble Maker didn’t feel like an album made by an older band trying to squeeze one last drop out of their legacy. The album felt like these guys can still do it and can bring it just as hard as they did 20 years ago. Songs on this album didn’t overstay their welcome, proved the band could still be catchy, and felt more like early Rancid.
While this isn’t their best album, it’s still great. Perhaps people wrote off this release because the prior two albums weren’t great. Do yourself a favor and give this record a spin and see for yourself. See
tracks “Ghost of a Chance,” “Telegraph Ave,” “Cold Cold Blood,” and “This is Not the End.”
