The songwriter’s narratives have come along way since his debut, Jumping the Shark.
Australian synth-pop expat Alex Cameron worked on his craft as part of Sydney ambient electronic act Seekae. From 2008 to 2014, Seekae didn’t miss a beat releasing three albums, slowly recognising a musical continuum that begun as zigzagging IDM before evolving into something more pop-appreciated.
Prior to the release of Seekae’s most recent album, The Worry, Cameron had been working on a solo project, eponymously so. 2013’s Jumping the Shark was initially released for free from Cameron’s website before being picked up by Siberia Records in 2014 and later, Secretly Canadian, in 2016.
Suddenly, Alex Cameron was no hollow pseudonym, but an inspired entity that saw the creator pivot from broken beats to velvet pop. Emotions initially bottled up within ethereal pulsations were now laid to bare – quickly, Cameron became cherished for his shrewd and unabashed commentary.
Following on from Jumping the Shark, Cameron has gone on to release two more solo albums, Forced Witness and this month’s Miami Memory.
Adorning his sleaze cape and tracking narratives that ridicule toxic masculinity across his early solo canon, his latest effort is his first love tape. Acclaimed actor, Girls’ Jemima Kirke has arrived into his life and Cameron is hot under the collar.
Speaking about Miami Memory, Cameron feels this is the first occasion that he’s been capable of narrating the phenomenon.
“I think this was the first time I could legitimately write a record about romance, love and the drama and chemistry involved with that, especially on a family level. This is the first time I’ve had the license to sing about that stuff,” Cameron says.
“I’ve been thinking, I can never really afford the things I want to get her [Jemima Kirke] but at least I can write her a record and give that to her.
“She was there for the writing process … she was listening to me play piano as I was writing these songs. Her DNA is in the album as well, as an artist. I wanted to make the most of my emotions in the writing process.”
If Jumping the Shark inscribed the Alex Cameron blueprint, Forced Witness solidified his ideals with intricate musicianship. The record saw Cameron inhabit the minds of ten different misogynistic men, delivering exaggerated portrayals with layers of irony and satire.
Lyrically, it was like a wily game of Guess Who? without the triviality. Musically, it was plush, cushioning the serene vocals of Cameron and magnifying the woodwinds of bandmate and ‘business partner’, Roy Molloy.
A daring storyteller, Cameron rides the tightrope in high winds, opening himself up to criticism through his left-leaning acuity. No censure is going to restrain him though as transparency is a big part of his creative process.
“If I want to walk around living my life as an artist and be true to that and try and make a living doing that then I’ve got to be as transparent as I possibly can and the only reception that really matters to me is how the shows go.
“My main concern is whether I can get a good crowd, not how people hear the music … right now, it’s about tickets and performance and putting on a red-hot show. That’s the only thing I really care about, I certainly don’t care about someone’s opinion on the music or whatever.”
Cameron’s adoration for the live stage can be easily justified by his work rate on the road. On this day of writing, he had 48 shows lined up for the rest of 2019. Performing is a fantasy that gets Cameron out of bed and into the van.
“I think that [playing live] is the big yearning to make a living out of doing what we do and the sure-fire way to make a living is to get up there and sell tickets.”
“That’s also the fantasy of it. When you’re in the studio I feel a deep privilege because not many people get to do that and when I’m on stage I feel a real connection to the crowd. It’s very grounding but it’s also extremely elevating.”
Cameron was coy about the possibility of an Australian tour but if the busyness of his tour schedule is anything to go by, it shouldn’t be too long before we see the former Sydneysider back on home turf.
Alex Cameron’s new album, Miami Memory, is out now via Secretly Canadian. Give it a spin via streaming services.
