The only band making folk music cool again is back today with a new single and companion video.
With plenty of their trademark banjo sound, CAAMP's new single, "Fall, Fall, Fall" is an emotional tune about changing the world for the better. Lead singer Taylor Meier says of the song, "'Fall, Fall, Fall' is a song about change - prescribe whatever meaning to that as fits your spirit, but for all of us, the main themes are racial and environmental injustices." He continues, "We just want more folks to hear this message, especially in these divisive and culturally tense times."
If you don't already know and love CAAMP, it's probably time to get on board. The band formed when Taylor Meier and Evan Westfall met and bonded over a shared love of music and their hometown, Columbus, OH. The two began writing and performing and quickly grew a large fanbase who call themselves CAAMPERS and ensure the band sells out all their gigs. Their self-titled 2016 debut album was a surprise hit, quickly gaining over 284 million streams across platforms, with a staggering 124 million streams for their single "Vagabond" alone. Soon, Evan and Taylor brought on a third member, longtime friend Matt Vinson to join on bass just before recording By and By, and the rest is history.
Now, CAAMP is treading more political ground with their new single. The beginning of the song asks the listener about their sense of duty to the world, comparing our modern fight against climate change to the battles our forefathers fought, asking, "Will you fall, fall, fall for your furies? Would you die on the blade like your daddy did?" and then, "Would you stay on the line while your country dies?" The crux of the song is the simple but beautiful, with the conceit that the narrator just "want[s] my kids to swim in the creek," something that will be made impossible if the climate crisis isn't solved.
CAAMP's new single is a clear call to action, saying, "Yes now go now all who can hear us / Give what you can, oh but take what you need / Will this dark road soon become clearer / Are we bound to stay quiet and drift off into sleep / Dreams of money and greed / Such a dark destiny." The song goes on to offer hope, saying, "You'd be surprised what your own hands can make."
The striking album art, a cross stitch hoop featuring the name of the song and two people fishing, was made in collaboration with Lavystitch, a talented cross stitch artist.
The music video works to farther cement the message of the song, showing various naturalists and environmentalists at work. According to the band, "The music video was directed, filmed and edited by Nate Murray at Local Motives, a non-profit that profiles naturalist organizations around the country including farmers, fisherman and conservationists."
It's been a big year for CAAMP. Their release of their first full length album, By and By, was a huge success. The album entered the Billboard Top 200, was the #1 Heatseeker, #1 on the New Artist Alternative Albums, top 5 vinyl album sales for the week and entered the Alternative and Emerging Artist charts. Later, the band scored their first #1 at radio with their single "Peach Fuzz" made their late night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and they followed that up with a performance on CBS This Morning Saturday.
If you want to see more from CAAMP, you can check out their recent performance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The performance was filmed in CAAMP's hometown of Columbus, OH during quarantine as a part of #PlayAtHome.
As the band grows more politically conscious, it's almost certain that their already devoted fanbase will only grow and gain even more young, like-minded people. We're excited to see what comes next from this revolutionary folk band.