THE BAND CAMINO
By: Dani Jantzer
Tags: Pop Culture, Music, The Band Camino, Indie, Rock

I’ve never had a favorite band in my life, until The Band Camino.

I am typically the person that never fully listens to one specific band. I’ll pick a handful of songs from all kinds of groups, but I never feel like I enjoy every single song from these groups. However, once I heard “Daphne Blue” by The Band Camino when it was released in 2018, I listened to — and fell in love with — every single song by the group.

With 73.3k followers on Instagram and tours booked out across the world, The Band Camino has risen abruptly in the past couple of years. The members of The Band Camino have stated throughout their entire growth that their intentions with creating music is to be real, raw, and to write words that resonate with real life. With this type of transparency, The Band Camino has gained thousands of devoted fans who crave the unique rock/pop/indie sound that comes with every song.

Members of The Band Camino consists of: Jeffrey Jordan (lead singer, guitar), Spencer Stewart (vocals, guitar), Graham Rowell (bass), and Garrison Burgess (drums).

The members of The Band Camino have stated numerous times before that they’re really just “every day, regular, normal guys” and it shows in the content that they share with the world. Posing for pictures with their real-life buddies, taking videos of themselves pranking each other, spending time being genuine friends. These are all things that make The Band Camino appealing to listeners/watchers, because they are living real lives and not attempting to live up to the impossible standards that pop culture is typically expected.

The Band Camino writes songs that resonate with the real-life person. A lot of the lyrics have to do with relationships and the complications that come with them. However, The Band Camino steers away from cliche lines and sticks to deep feelings of the heart. For example, in one of their first hits, “My Thoughts On You,” the group acknowledged the difference between thoughts and feelings, while opening up about the realization about still needing someone you were once close with.

“My thoughts versus my feelings, my thoughts on you hit the ceiling

But my feelings aren’t a real thing

If I feel things I don’t really discern.”

In a more recent, yet underrated single, The Band Camino uses simple lyrics that encompass the feeling of being forgotten by someone you still think of in “Something To Hold On To”. The band sings the phrase:

“Do you ever think of me?

After everything

Give me something to hold on to

I need just a little piece

I’ll take anything

Give me something to hold on to.”

In this single, The Band Camino uses the simplicity of real lyrics, matched with a more rock sound to create a heart-wrenching banger.

One of The Band Camino’s tracks from their most recent album, Tryhard, demonstrates the irresistible bond between two people who are no longer in a relationship: “Break Me”.

“You call me up crying

Why does that make me want you more?

I know that you’re lying

But here I am at your door

You take a piece of me with you and make me feel stupid

You tell me that you want me back and I let you do it

I let you do it”

Critics of this lyric set may acknowledge the use of the word “stupid” and consider it unprofessional. However, the placement of this word demonstrates the person’s true feelings towards a situation. In real-life situations, sometimes we call things stupid — we don’t try to find the most professional and accurate word to use.

I, personally, appreciate this about The Band Camino. They are transparent and real. It shows in the content that they release and the lyrics that they sing. The Band Camino is a bit of a black sheep among pop culture today. Their goal is not to attract as many followers as possible, but to instead be raw and relatable. They view themselves as normal dudes, just trying to play well and produce songs so people feel less alone in their struggles.

This is what pop culture should be. The goal of music should never be to gain the approval of others, for this will never be fulfilling. The Band Camino is doing it right; they’re creating music for the sake of their own enjoyment and to impact others positively.