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“We had to find a way to keep the music going,” explains Jen Deale, lead vocalist and songwriter of Portland, Oregon-based new wave pop band Camp Crush. “Times are tough right now, for everyone and all of us. I’ll never take for granted the importance of music, but it can also be fun. It’s a way to stay connected to each other and create joy.”
Deale’s approach to music faced a big test at the beginning of 2020, when everything changed for Camp Crush and the music industry. With a new EP written and studio time planned in March 2020, Camp Crush decided to find a new way to forge ahead when the world paused. Working virtually with their producer/engineer Rian Lewis (Doja Cat, Gorillaz, Chromeo, Louis the Child, D.R.A.M.) Deale and bandmate Chris Spicer began recording sessions from their home. “It was a collaboration with Rian from the beginning. We would record parts and send them over, then he would mix and send them back with some recording homework. We did this kind of back and forth for a while, which removed the time restraints of the studio and allowed us to just focus on getting it right,” says Spicer, “It’s really satisfying to see the end product become something so special, something that came out of a major hardship to us and to the entire world.”
With the Fall 2020 release of Fangirl, the first planned single from these home recording sessions, the band aims to access the energy and excitement of life, no matter the circumstances. “I wanted to write a song that could transcend these darker days and give people a reason to dance,” Deale says. When she sings “I’ve got a lot of heart, and it beats for you” it’s a genuine display of emotion laid bare. The music video matches the production theme of the song, showcasing many of the band’s friends and family who were enlisted to collaborate virtually and film their own choreography.
Deale and Spicer met in Portland, OR in 2010 and discovered their shared love for the mood, drama, and songwriting of bands like The Cure, New Order, Berlin and the National. After getting married shortly thereafter, they launched Camp Crush and began channeling those influences into their own brand of dramatic pop. Happy Mag explains it best with, “The duo glide through a cinematic brand of indie-pop that is completely endearing and damn-near mesmerizing.”
The last few years has seen the band release 3 EPs, multiple singles, and maintain a constant touring schedule throughout the west coast. “We can’t wait to get back on the road and play shows again. While we don’t know when that will happen, we’ve been having fun with live streams and connecting with our community online,” Deale says. Selected as one of OPB’s top 10 sessions of 2019, OPB said, “Deale’s booming voice carries the songs while Spicer provides the perfect, steady backbeat, and they exude genuine happiness during every song.” That happiness shines through Fangirl, brightly enough to carry over until they can perform on stage again.