Bummer Camp - Stuck In A Dream

“A force of distorted guitars and hazy dissonance” – The Fader

“Demonstrates Frank’s growth from detailed lo-fi bedroom recordings to headbanging grungegaze” – Flood Magazine

“With the buzzsaw guitars and haunting melodies, it’s a shoegaze powerhouse with a mesmerizing wall of sound…” – New Noise

Out via Brooklyn’s Trash Casual (Tetchy, Strawberry Launch, My Son The Doctor), the second full-length from Bummer Camp dives deep into life’s contradictions, weaving together threads of persistence and surrender. At its heart is Eli Frank who built these expansive songs from stripped-back sessions with just an acoustic guitar. Each track started as a simple humming melody, with words following the music in an organic evolution that’s become characteristic of their songwriting approach.

“We can choose to be stuck but we also choose to wake up,” Eli muses about the album’s title. “What’s bleak is also beautiful, what’s beautiful is also bleak because it is ephemeral.” Written and recorded in a burst of creativity while waiting on mixes from another unreleased project, the album channels that restless energy into meditations on perfectionism and the constant push forward. While some listeners might hear bleakness in the lyrics, Eli sees something more nuanced – a recognition that even our darkest moments carry their own strange beauty.

The recording process itself was a testament to creative momentum, with Eli capturing these songs in an inspired rush between projects. Rather than letting perfectionism halt progress, they channeled that tension into the album’s core themes, exploring the endless cycle of creation and dissatisfaction that drives artists forward.

While Stuck In A Dream was written and recorded entirely by Eli (with drums from their Teenage Halloween bandmate Peter Gargano), on stage Eli brings these intimate songs to life as a four-piece, transforming these personal reflections into full-band revelations. The live arrangements add new dimensions to the album’s contemplative core, proving these songs can both whisper and roar. Catch Bummer Camp at two special release shows in Brooklyn and Philadelphia this weekend and on tour to SXSW in March. Dates and tickets here (contact us with any requests)!