Words by Tom Farmer- @tomfarmer5000 @TomFarmerJourno
With “guitar music” fairly low down the mainstream pecking order and no gigs for almost 18 months, I think Caramel speak for many of indie music-obsessed millennials wishing that they were around in the 1960s. Yet, with jangly guitar and a hallucinogenic sound, the Brighton-based outfit do their best to take us back to the musical glory days.
With inspirations varying from Jeff Buckley to Queens of the Stone Age, four-piece Caramel have been gigging around their native Brighton for around two years. With a self-proclaimed “multi-dimensional” approach to music, the outfit are keen to create a sound linked to their love of photography and fine art to produce a “concoction of sounds, colours and vibrations”.
If Caramel had set out to write and release a hazy, Synaesthesia-inducing single, “Dreams of 60s Counterculture” has achieved that. It is sonically dreamy and hazy, yet maintains a professional crispness, especially heard in the harmonies produced by the two lead singers Jamie Broughton and Olly Parkes. Obviously, the track is hugely reminiscent of the psychedelic-drenched 60s scene, with shades of the Beatles and the Kinks shining through. Despite this, it still sounds original and exciting.
The songwriting is raw and emotive, with the vocals oozing passion. The vivacity of the track is summed by the trumpet solo which subtly booms towards the end of the track, the final stroke of well-constructed chaos in the track.
Caramel have hit the ground running with sweet debut “Dreams of 60s Counterculture”: An emotive ode to our musical heroes, doing well to steer clear of being too cringe or over-sentimental.
'Dreams of 60s Counterculture' is out now on all major streaming platforms and you can listen to the track via the embedded link below.
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