Bristol band Langkamer flew onto our radar in fine style in April with the excellent “The Ugliest Man In Bristol”, and today they follow it up with “Humdinger” and the news that they’ll be bringing out a debut album called West Country on September 10 through Breakfast Records / TINA. On the new track, “Humdinger”, they say:
“Humdinger is a cautionary tale about the dangers of monotony. It’s about putting off the things you really want to do because you’re too busy doing things you don’t really want to do. We humans are creatures of habit, that’s for sure, but all the best things happen when you break those habits. I guess this is something of a call to arms.”
By titling their album West Country, Langkamer are not only referencing the West part of the UK from which they hail, but also seem to be winking at the fact that their brand of indie punk has a wild west/outlaw tinge. While “Ugliest Man In Bristol” saw them going country punk, “Humdinger” finds them rustling up a jauntier affair; a bounding bassline combining with the country-esque guitar to create a bouncing tune that’s bound to induce a bunch of emphatic do-si-dos. This lighthearted lope is the perfect antidote to the malaise in the lyrics, where they concern themselves with the boredom of quotidian repetition, only to shake it loose as they build up a gang vocal for the chorus: “it’s a real humdinger / son o’ bitch / know what I mean?” We know exactly what they mean, and now, in “Humdinger”, we have the perfect soundtrack to remind us to kick away the boredom and kick up some dust in joyous dancing and frolics.
Watch the video for “Humdinger” below or find it on streaming platforms.
Langkamer’s debut album West Country comes out on September 10 through Breakfast Records / TINA (pre-order/save). You can find Langkamer on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
