Perennial blog favorites Summer Camp released a new music video today for “Crazy”, a fantastic track off of their self-titled second album. What’s really crazy though is that it wasn’t until I watched this video that I realized how dark and moody so many of Summer Camp’s songs are. When you listen to Summer Camp’s big, cheerful girl-group melodies you can be forgiven for initially overlooking the lyrics, which while being love songs, they are usually also about obsession and failed relationships. Their bright, exuberant sound frequently acts as a counterpoint with the darker subjects in the lyrics, adding all sorts of layers and nuance to their music, which is probably why I like it so much. This video reminds me of their Bonnie and Clyde themed video for “Always” or the ecstatic, yet psychotic lyrics of “I Want You”, (which also just happens to be one of my top five favorite songs ever.)

In the process of doing research for this post I came across this video for “Losing My Mind” from their debut album Welcome to Condale that I had neglected to post when it had originally come out. The video features Elizabeth and Jeremy playing a couple in the midst of falling out while at one of those cheesy 80’s portrait studios, arguing with each other while trying to maintain fake smiles for the camera. Again, there’s a tongue-in-cheek playfulness to the track and video that underscores the darker lyrics like “You don’t love me like you used to” and “If you want to leave then I suppose you must”.

Speaking of Summer Camp videos that I neglected to post when they first came out (jeez, what’s with this guy?), here’s one more fantastic video for “Two Chords” that also happens to fit today’s theme. The video features two aging news anchors falling out of love on and off-screen, only to find each other again as the apocalypse begins. The song has a deep tinge of melancholy and wistfulness to it, and yet it also contains a beautiful feeling of hope and longing that pulls the whole thing together. No matter which way you choose to look at it, what you can’t deny is that Summer Camp makes some amazing music.

“Two Chords” is also off of their second album, Summer Camp.