Review | Langkamer – No

Label: Breakfast Records

By Charlie Pinhey

Langkamer are a Bristol-based four-piece who have been releasing music since 2020. Last year saw Langkamer release several notable singles in the lead up to their latest album, titled ‘No’. Each release not only showcased the band’s ability to diversify their song portfolio, bridging the gap between alt-country and indie-punk, but also saw them cultivate a certain mischievous tone, paired with an undercurrent of surprising emotional gravitas.

‘No‘’s opener, ‘Crocodile Clock’, is steeped in fuzz and its rhythm instantly evokes a similar ear-swelling sensation to bands like Getdown Services and Adult DVD. But it sets itself apart from the bravado of the modern indie-punk scene, with warbled vocals that bubble over screechy guitar licks. The track conjures imagery of an underwater menagerie, where the swelling bass bobs along before pulling you under. The lyrics are amusing too. It may just be the vocal warble, but ‘Crocodile Clock’ seems to revel in laughing in the face of anxiety, as stretchy guitars build and play out, giving the track an acidy feel, ‘Benzos in the bath, I saw you take it!’

Throughout this album there’s a feel-good factor that crops up on every song, thanks, in part, to producer Remko Schouten (Pavement, Personal Trainer). ‘No’ was recorded in the mountains of Murcia in Southern Spain and Schouten’s production feels snug and incisive, capturing a glimpse of Mediterranean van life, whilst also sounding bold enough to translate easily to festival stages.

But as you go deeper into ‘No’, you realise that the feel-good factor is just the first layer of Langkamer. Second track ‘Babe Pig In The City’ bounces along jovially, but beneath the surface is an unease, rooted in feeling out of place, that rises with more listens. That realisation crystalises in the softly delivered line, ‘Skim me like a stone. I want to reach the other shore.’

Like a narrative arc, a tension simmers in the tracks that follow ‘Babe Pig In The City’, punctuated by ‘The Summer I Hit The Wall’, which shows how naturally the band slip into an alt-country groove. ‘Easterly’ is an overwhelming few minutes where everything gets on top of the band and the line, ‘Almost like I’m really living in the moment’, is repeated maniacally. Meanwhile, ‘Neck’ is rife with heady riffs and staccato notes, where Langkamer tiptoe neatly into Americana and reminisce about days gone by.

That tension erupts in ‘No’’s seventh track ‘Crows’, which has a lyrical immediacy to it that drives at the heart of being spread too thin. ‘Why am I running around like this…Breaking my back, carrying your shit?’ and later ‘Suffer. Struggle. Picking up the pieces of the puzzle.’ It’s unexpectedly expansive and feels like the place where the band collectively let loose most.

If there’s one thing ‘No’ has in abundance is a sense of togetherness. These songs are fun to listen to and are driven by happy melodies, epitomised by the sweet ‘Split The Difference’, the penultimate track on this record. Listen to this album and Langkamer will have you pining for hazy afternoons at Greenman’s Walled Garden or for getting sweaty in The Folly at End Of The Road.

Langkamer are Josh Jarman (lead vocals & drums), Dan Anthony (backing vocals & guitar), Ed Soles (backing vocals & guitar), Tom Kelly (backing vocals & bass).