Album Name: Under The Influence Of Love
Artist: The Campbell Apartment
Released: January 2024
Label: Mint 400 Records
Rating: 6.5/10
Tracklist
Sand and Glue
Bay Area Robot Farm
Only One Night
PATH Train of Least Resistance
Boys Like Driving
Fun In The Sun
The Day The Internet Died
St. Charles
When I Fall
Cheryl Noble
You're On
A Get Well Party
452 Square Feet
She Left Quietly
The Campbell Apartment have been releasing music for about ten years now and their indie/punk rock sound continues to deliver with their upcoming album 'Under The Influence Of Love', which is being released on the 19th of January.
The Campbell Apartment have been playing indie rock since before it was even called that and the years of experience show in the trio's creative sound. They may be indie rock but there's also some punk, at times hints of blues and a healthy dose of classic pop. It's actually hard to pinpoint exactly where these guys fit in when you get into their music, and new album 'Under The Influence Of Love' gives you a taste of all of it.
Most of the tracks on 'Under The Influence Of Love' have been previously released as singles and this includes opener 'Sand and Glue'. This track in my opinion will easily be the most popular on the album and is a great way to start off. It's a bright track that's punky indie with even a sprinkle of blues sounding rock. I would say 'Sand and Glue' is the most appealing to a younger audience as it has more of a modern tone than other songs on the album. All round it's a positive summery song with a catchy chorus that's guaranteed to have you singing along "It's what I doooo"
'Bay Area Robot Farm' is a bit older sounding and is chilled out with nice guitars and a repetitive melody. It's easy to listen to and welcomes the listener further into The Campbell Apartments sound.
Another one I quite liked is the bright track 'PATH Train of Least Resistance'. This one leans more into a pop sound with a classic rock leading guitar. It's another one that's chilled and easy to listen to. It actually had me thinking of artists such as The Beatles at parts.
'Boys Like Driving' seems to pick fun at some gender stereotypes and allows itself to be a bit silly lyrically. This is a fun one, but it's got crunch to it and is probably the rockiest on the album. I liked how this one stands out on 'Under The Influence Of Love' and how it shows off a little bit more of The Campbell Apartments personality.
For most of the middle of 'Under The Influence Of Love' I found myself getting a little bored. There aren't any songs that stand out to me in this section but it did take my attention again towards the end with 'A Get Well Party', which much like the opening track leans more into a modern indie sound. It's a very nice instrumental with a guitar melody in the verses that could get stuck in your head. This one I thought had a bit of a Weezer feel to it and it's another one of my favorites on the album.
Then '452 Square Feet' which is in my opinion a pretty strong song that should've probably closed the album. The second last track has a sort of Christmas song quality about it, you could imagine a pub full of people chanting along while it snows outside. It's a song that builds instrumentally while allowing you to take in the story that The Campbell Apartment are telling. I think this track as a whole works really well and it nails the sort of lonely and empty feeling that the lyrics seem to talk of.
Overall, as much as I didn't like every song on this album, I think that is just down to personal taste. The Campbell Apartment don't make the sort of music I would normally listen to, but I was so attracted by a few songs on 'Under The Influence Of Love' that I still wanted to talk about it. Most of the fourteen tracks seem to heavily take influence from more classic indie, punk rock, but The Campbell Apartment also have created some modern sounds too. If like me, you're more of a fan of modern indie, I'd have to highly recommend listening to 'Sand and Glue', but also 'A Get Well Party' and '452 Square Feet'.
You can hear the songs on 'Under The Influence Of Love' from the 19th of January.
The Campbell Apartment are
Ari Vais: Guitar & Vocals Kevin Frank: Bass Steve Mathews: Drums
The Campbell Apartment online
