VIDEO: “Why Do I Dream Of You” –
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“”Why Do I Dream Of You” deals with infatuation with a partner that you know is ultimately bad for you. Living in New York City, it was easy to find metaphors to go with this particular situation. Just like my surroundings, this relationship was beautiful in many ways but also decaying and nasty. “Green beams of steel whose coat decays and chips away at me” reflects feeling powerless and struggling to come to terms with the negatives, but holding on to the idealization of us together, which was often manifested in dreams I experienced.” -Sean Camargo
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Originally a working title representing the first letters of the band members’ names (Sean, Cory, Alec, Brandon), S.C.A.B. is an acronym with a shifting meaning – its phonetic double acting as a metaphor for protection and healing for a group that’s always been there for one another.
Following the release of the band’s debut album, 2019’s Beauty & Balance, COVID-19 put the brakes on the Brooklyn-based band’s burgeoning career. Not content with sitting still, the band decided to travel down to Georgia to record their sophomore, self-titled LP (S.C.A.B.), which they engineered and produced themselves. (side note: Brandon, the letter “B” in S.C.A.B., does play on this record, but has since left the group to focus on solo work under the name Hayfitz.) Having distance from their beloved city during this unprecedented, tragic time helped them hone a sound that is even more distinctly New York.
Frontman Sean Camargo, whose parents immigrated from Ecuador and Bolivia as teenagers, was born in Elmhurst, Queens. His lyrics are colored with nostalgic memories of 90s Bushwick, where his grandparents later settled, alongside sardonic observations of the contemporary city where he landed again after stops in Maryland and Massachusetts. Each song on S.C.A.B. contains snapshots of New York moments that feel hazy with nostalgia, yet are the result of being present through transformational circumstances, no matter how seemingly small. As a self-titled effort, it solidifies the band’s mastery of balancing raucous, distorted guitars with glimmering spoken word passages and a pop-infused melodic confidence.
The angular guitar passages in lead single “Tuesday” conjure up trains skidding across deteriorated subway platforms, as Camargo declares he’s “trying to let go of everyone I’ve ever loved,” reflecting a relatable disillusionment with trying to form meaningful connections, and searching aimlessly for something worthwhile. Thematically, S.C.A.B. covers an array of topics ranging from grief (“Small Talk”), as Camargo describes bonding with another band member over the loss of a parent, to infatuation with a partner you know is ultimately bad for you (“Why Do I Dream Of You”).
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