With the rise in popularity of Christmas jumpers your grandad used
to wear and sepia toned iPhone photos, Summer Camp slide right into this
revival of ‘80s nostalgia.
Yet instead of just using Human League-esque synths, this duo have
gone the whole hog. Using vintage photos for single covers and a dose of
John Hughes-inspired romanticism, Summer Camp could easily provide the
soundtrack to some Hughes movie that was never made.
From lead single ‘Better Off Without You’, based around a messy break
up, to ‘1988’, which sounds like it could easily work during the credit
sequence of a coming of age film, Welcome to Condale is its
own story. Each song takes a look into the lives of the citizens of
Condale; from a disastrous date in ‘Last American Virgin’ to possible
stalker anthem ‘I Want You’. This introduction of a single location and
various characters gives the album a much greater focus.
The album manages to feel distinctly ‘80s with a futuristic tinge to
it, down to Pulp member Steve Mackey’s production. With Elizabeth
Sankey’s soaring vocals and Jeremy Warmsley’s intricate arrangements
(see ‘Brian Krakow’ for the latter), nothing here feels forced. Sampling
films such as Weird Science and Sixteen Candles, this is the ultimate
love letter to the ‘80s. Condale is not a place you’ll want to be
leaving any time soon!
4 1/2 / 5
Recommended download: ‘Last American Virgin’
