“A record which continues this examination of the current state of things with a newly immediate, personal edge.” That’s how we described Cameron Keiber‘s upcoming album Nurser back in December, the founder of projects like The Beatings and Eldridge Rodriguez adding loops and beats into the mix to add a new layer to his indie rock sound. Lead single ‘Hapsburg Jaw’ introduced this style, a track “about depression and the insidious impact of those who belittle its dimensions,” as we wrote, Keiber’s tone somewhere between weary and wry as it took aim “at those who believe all it takes is a bit of bootstrap pulling and positive thinking,” to create an “empathetic in its picture of someone straining within such a hostile world.”
Now Cameron Keiber is back with second single, ‘Sons and Daughters’, and the track is no less defiant in its message. Written over a decade ago but more thematically salient than ever, the song faces up to the attacks faced by the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups, and looks to dismantle the conservative logic which gives such opinions footing in the world. Built upon a glitchy electronic foundation, the arrangement builds gradually along with Keiber’s vocals, as though his delivery whips up the sound to add weight to the convictions being voiced. And make no mistake, this weight is considerable by the close. There’s no hesitance or lily-livered attempts at peace here, just a clear fuck you to all those who try to impose their own will upon innocent others.