Copper Changes Color＜Clear Cassette＞

Caamps 2022 album Lavender Days was their first to reach the mainstream pop charts. After years of toil, the Ohio groups breezy, affable indie folk had netted them a shaft of the national spotlight and the increased fandom that comes with it. On Copper Changes Color, their fifth album, Caamp try to hang on to those fans while altering their sonic formula. Thematically, their songs continue to foster uplift and affirmation with occasional bouts of heartbreak and doubt. However, from a production standpoint, this is clearly designed to be more of a rock-driven record with an emphasis on saturated electric guitars and a raw, stripped-down feel. Tracks like "Millions" and "Mistakes" pair Caamps folksy jangle with a garage-band toothiness. Even the more straight-ahead acoustic tracks are bereft of Lavender Days soft reverbs, giving them a leaner sound that pairs with the more aggressive cuts. Produced by Beatriz Artola and Tucker Martine, Copper Changes Color reveals a few of the bands deeper shades without abandoning the friendliness and familiarity that are their stock-in-trade. ~ Timothy Monger