Camera Thief

For the past few years, modern rock five piece Camera Thief has been making a name for itself around the Philadelphia region with earnest, cathartic songs that incorporate booming production, bright piano, and blazing guitars into reflections on our journey through this thing called life.
Camera Thief is made up of singer-guitarist Joe Duffey, pianist Brendan Duffey, guitarist Pasquale DeFazio, drummer Rob DeFazio, and bassist / trombonist and Joe Hartnett. Their album The War Parade, released digitally last month, and recalls a range of artists like Bruce Springsteen, The National, Strand of Oaks, and The Killers. A good place to start is “Starting Fires,” which puts Brendan’s piano at center stage as Joe ruminates on getting older, looking back on our youth and the race through life, while at the same time embracing the road ahead: as he sings on the emotional refrain on the outro, “It’s all of my time and it never stops.”
Take a listen to the song below, and stream the full album via Spotify. The band is celebrating its album release on March 21st at Broken Goblet Brewery in Bensalem on March 21st — more information can be found here — but they’ll play a warm-up show tonight at The Grape Room in Manayunk — details on that gig can be found here. - WXPN - The Key

There is an immediate warmth and sense of belonging when listening to the songs on “The War Parade,” the album of Camera Thief. It’s not mere déjà vu, since there is also the excitement that accompanies discovering new territory. Instead, the comfort is similar to first meeting someone and somehow instantly feeling a welcoming draw and a resolve to remain connected. After repeatedly listening to the album, the resolve has strengthened.

“The War Parade” won’t be officially released until March 2020. Two songs have been officially shared thus far, but all eight can be streamed via Spotify. Both “Modern Fiction” and “Starting Fires” demonstrate the mastery of Camera Thief in writing and executing extended intensity builds and sudden downtempo shifts. “Modern Fiction” is driven by “clean” guitars and resonant vocals. The song reaches a pinnacle, then shifts at 3:20 for the final cautionary verse, “Hold on tight / Don’t drop your guard…” In comparison, “Starting Fires” begins and ends by featuring the piano, the guitars are less clean, and the percussion is more aggressive.

As strong as the vocals are in those two singles, the attractiveness noticeably increases during the lyrical layering in “Running Out of Road.” It is first heard at the one-minute mark. This vocals-driven track from the album will certainly surface as the favorite for a portion of the building fan base of Camera Thief.

Then, there is the melodic trombone toward the end of “Left Behind” and the percussion intro of “Medicine for Aching Hearts.” Camera Thief has the elements that promise a staying power. They are a Philadelphia-based band with two pairs of brothers. The members are Joe Duffey (vocals, guitar), Pasquale DeFazio (guitar), Brendan Duffey (keyboards, piano), Robert DeFazio (drums), and Joe Hartnett (bass, trombone). - Indie Obsessive

If Camera Thief were from Edinburgh or Manchester, BBC Radio would be espousing the potential greatness of the quintet. Instead, the band comprised of Joe Duffey (vocals/guitar), Brendan Duffey (keys/piano), Robert DeFazio (drums), Joe Hartnett (bass/trombone), and Pasquale DeFazio (guitar), percolate under the radar in the massive Philadelphia music scene, waiting to be discovered. Their breakthrough moment is nigh because their latest single, “Starting Fires”, is an eye-opening, cinematic, anthemic number.
The opening piano is a distraction of what is to come. As the song builds, so does the intensity and the urgency in every note played and lyric sung. The approach recalls the artistic touches of The National and the euphoric fare of Manchester Orchestra and Frightened Rabbit. The similarities extend beyond the sound. Frontman Joe Duffey’s vocals have a Scottish tinge, and his words are uplifting and moving. With the music soaring around him, he incites us to live another day and never stop living. With a song like this, how can we not want to live longer?
The band’s debut album, The War Parade, is expected in March. Here’s hoping they truly break out this year. - The Revue

ROUGH TRANSLATION:
It must have been years since we heard a sound like that!

A real pleasure to hear true indie-rock sound, powerful, emotional, and of quality.

Camera Thief is a group of five friends from Philadelphia: Pasquale DeFazio, Brendan Duffey, Robert DeFazio, Joe Hartnett and Joe Duffey.

Normally, we had to write on the song "Modern Fiction", which was sent to us by the group.

We loved it. From start to finish, from the first to the last note.

Everything is perfectly set, in its place, a real masterpiece.

A very strong vocal identity, as good as Kings Of Leon or Stereophonics, a real voice, which can be recognized among thousands.

A real voice signature, therefore, which gives the group a real advantage over all the others ...

And that's not all. You will find that the melody is very worked, and as charged with emotions as the words.

So, with such a combo of good news, we wanted to listen to more.

The song is taken from the album "The War Parade", which has just been released.

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So we listened to the second, "Starting Fires". And BAM! Another slap!

Incredible song, full of energy, power, wild choirs, and above all ... full of strong emotions, with an epic finish!

So after this second slap, we wanted even more.

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We continued with "Running Out of Road" and there ... rebelote. Third slap.

The chills at each refrain. It's not possible, these guys have a magic trick! With emotion that rises, that rises ...

Well, we couldn't stop there.

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So we let ourselves be tempted by the 4th title "The Empty Weight" ...

From the first seconds, we are happy to find the voice we love so much ... and it always has the same effect.

Crazy thing, this group is addictive. The choirs are always as neat, and the melody is incredibly powerful.

We want to sing with them when we never heard the song, it's still crazy!

And there comes an exceptional guitar solo. A gradual increase in power until the end, worthy of the greatest.

We reach the stratosphere with this piece ...

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We can't move on, we might miss the exceptional again. So we continue, with "Sunset Satellite".

A long intro of almost a minute and a half, a divine guitar sound, pure happiness.

And we find this voice, which has now become familiar to us.

The chorus arrives and we take another slap. How is it possible to find such great melodies?

After the last chorus, the guitar is omnipresent and we take advantage of the moment. We close our eyes and let ourselves be carried.

We don't even realize that the song lasted almost 6 minutes.

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After 5 titles, we say we found a new group "Coup de Coeur". It's clear.

We are now convinced, so we have to continue. Sixth nugget: "Left Behind".

A captivating piece or female choirs invite themselves, for a powerful bridge, before a final in apotheosis with brass instruments.

Definitely, two surprises at the same time, these guys are capable of anything!

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Then, "Sold On It" appears, as if to calm the game.

With brass instruments that come back to see us, from the second part of the intro.

Calm, calm, the atmosphere is relaxing. Around 1:33, the song wakes up. With a very long guitar part, like a break.

But a well-worked break. Before the song returns, to reveal the full power of the voice.

The lyrics follow one after the other with rapid flow, disconcerting ease, and then majestic vocal flights that precede a breathtaking guitar solo.

What slaps with Camera Thief ...

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We have one left. "Medicine For Aching Hearts" ends the album in style.

So there, this one is the icing on the cake, as we say.

The pleasant little digestive at the end of the meal.

Incredible power, gradual, perfectly balanced and controlled.

And continuous chills from 2:40 to 3:20.

It is clearly supernatural. How do they do it?

The song ends with a slow fall, as if the group wanted to send us a message like "So, have you seen what we are able to send? Rest now!".

We arrive on the last notes with an incredible feeling of having lived a historic moment.

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We just heard an epic album. Exceptional. We haven't heard such an album since Coldplay's "X&Y" ... in 2005. 15 years ago.

We left for a song. Here we are on an album review.

And clearly, we didn't waste our time. We don't have a lot of albums in our favorites. Here is one more.

Bravo Camera Thief.

We couldn't add the whole album to our monthly playlist, but we still made a difference by placing "Modern Fiction" in our February 2020 Spotify playlist and in the incredible "Indie Rock Killers" playlist. - Indie Music Center (France)

We kick off the week with Philadelphia-based indie rock band Camera Thief and new album single Modern Fiction. Off their forthcoming debut album, “The War Parade”, it swells with striking urgency and barely lets up. Raw yet atmospheric, gang vocals build on the urgency as they howl, “You are only here right now to remind me that I’m alive,” like one final endless storm.

Formed in 2017, Camera Thief is brothers Joe and Brendan Duffey, Pasquale and Rob Defazio, and Joe Hartnett. Their debut album “The War Parade” is due out in March. - ohestee