Brass Camel – Brass Camel (self-release, 2026)
Vancouver-based progressive rock band Brass Camel put together a mouth watering cocktail of sounds of ins their third album, Brass Camel. For Sure, it is a highly persuasive mix of classic rock, funk, echoes of Led Zeppelin, odd Frank Zappa-influenced time signature changes, Queen-style harmonies, heavy blues-rock, and proggy synths on the final track.
The album was recorded primarily at Chalet Studios in Uxbridge and co-produced by Kevin Comeau (Crown Lands). The mix of this new album gets a decidedly more old-school treatment this time as the band had the honor of getting Terry Brown of Rush production fame on board. Said Terry, “Some classic influences here on the new Brass Camel album, so couple that with cool tunes, great arrangements, excellent lyric writing and superb execution by a group of talented musicians – you get great results! Thanks for having me mix this epic.”
This self-titled record represents both a consolidation of the band’s previous strengths, and an evolution in other ways. Brass Camel is the first album of material entirely written during the tenure of the current lineup. Even the previous album Camel, recorded with the full five-piece, still contained much material conceived during more primordial stages of the Brass Camel project. The band sees this as a culmination of a loose three-album cycle that firmly establishes what they’re about, as evidenced by the cheeky progression of titles, Brass, Camel, and finally Brass Camel.
Vancouver’s Brass Camel is a rock band that defies labels. They enjoy fusing funk grooves, inventive prog-rock, and massive harmonies. Since releasing their debut album Brass in 2022, they’ve played over 180 shows, including four national Canadian tours, major festivals (Between the Peaks, Starbelly Jam, Wapiti), and stages like Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom, Vogue Theatre, and a Toronto headliner at the historic Longboat Hall.
In 2024, their cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s Please Please Please on Musora’s Covers Challenge took off on YouTube, drawing hundreds of thousands of views. Their second album Camel (spring 2025) brought international press, reaction videos, and steady LP sales. While touring in support of this album, the band recorded their third LP at Uxbridge’s pastoral Chalet Studio with Kevin Comeau of Crown Lands co-producing.
Guitarist Daniel Sveinson shared: “Brass Camel is, appropriately, the first Brass Camel record that I feel sounds like a Brass Camel record. We’ve spent god knows how many hours in a bus together, in studio together and onstage together and I’d like to believe that is reflected in this collection of songs and recordings. We were focused, driven and motivated throughout the process and can’t wait to play these songs live all over the country and, later this year, in Europe (and hopefully the UK).”
“One goal the band had for this new album was for the lyrical content to be more central to the creative process. Says keyboardist Aubrey Ellefson, “Each track here explores a specific concept or story; from the legend of the Jersey Devil, to a dramatic narration of the Titan submersible disaster, to tackling the can of worms that is AI vs. the creative process, and many more.”
“This album is more lyrically dense – there’s a higher word count here than our first two LPs put together – and more musically ambitious, weirder and yet somehow more accessible than our previous efforts. There are a lot of subtleties and easter eggs hidden in the arrangements which I hope will make each listen more entertaining than the last! When it’s funk, it’s funkier. When it’s proggy, it’s proggier. When it’s loud, it’s louder. When it’s quiet, it’s quieter. There’s a lot more of a lot more but it’s all Brass Camel. Hope you enjoy it.”
Musicians: Daniel Sveinson on electric guitar and vocals; Curtis Arsenault on bass and vocals; Aubrey Ellefson on keyboards and vocals; Wyatt Gilson on drums and percussion. Additional musicians: Dylan Lammie on electric guitar on “Why Bother” and “Careful What You Wish For”; and Cat Madden on vocals on “What Are You Going to Do.”
Cover art by Red Baron. Sleeve Photography by Heather Horncastle.
Produced by Brass Camel and Kevin Comeau.
Mixed by Terry Brown at Moron Heights. Engineered by Kevin Comeau and Dylan Lammie. Mastered by João Carvalho.
Track list:
Side A:
- You’ve Got Time
- What Are you Going to Do
- Why Bother
- Can’t Say We Didn’t Try
- Ice Cold
- Careful What You Wish For
Side B:
- Everybody Loves a Scandal
- Catch Us If You Can
- Last Call
- This is Goodbye
Buy Brass Camel.