Camaromance

Montreal's Camaromance have come a long way since their first album back in 2005. In those days, the band were actually a duo, but that changed soon after and now that album number three has been released, it's hard to imagine that Camaromance could be anyone but Martine Groulx. The Parade is the first time that Groulx has sounded in complete control of her musical persona. There's no trepidation or tentativeness, and it translates into an impressive album that has more to offer than most female singer-songwriters. It helps that she's surrounded herself with an incredibly competent band that ensure the weight of her lyrics are backed up with the right amount of musical force. Camaromance aren't the shrinking violet that the front cover illustration implies, with the majority of the songs having the darker edge she's come to specialise in. Groulx effortlessly delivers world-weary vocals that are the highlight of an album that deserves more attention than its low-key approach asks. This is definitely a grower.