Cam Girl - Flesh & Chrome

Angry Metal Guy

Every once in a blue moon, reviewing a local band—especially a largely DIY band like Asheville, North Carolina’s Cam Girl—comes with a few extra perks. Because of our proximity, I secured promo months in advance in the form of a sick translucent cyan vinyl and a digital mp3, and gleaned additional insight into how this record was made. Having that much more exposure and access to the band by the grace of locality helped contextualize exactly what Cam Girl aspire to be. In this case, the AVL trio¹ have a single-minded focus: to become a phenomenon. Hard at work in pursuit of this lofty standard, Cam Girl prepared a sophomore record, Flesh & Chrome, that not only outstrips their debut, Untucked, but also marks a significant propulsion towards their ultimate goal.

Cam Girl isn’t concerned with what musical box they may or may not fit, but rather with crafting unforgettable, addictive songs written specifically to infect your brain—permanently. To that end, Cam Girl pulled out all the stops in songwriting, performance, and production. Flesh & Chrome builds around the infallible backbone of Kozy Kozette’s simple, but wildly effective guitar lines, exuberant riffcraft, and rich harmonies. Topping that rock-hard instrumental foundation, Lily Larceny’s vocal performance demonstrates a remarkable uptick in skillset, versatility, cadence, and potency from previous efforts. The rhythm section then sculpts heft and power, allowing Flesh & Chrome access to a greater breadth of audiences. But that’s just the tip. In the same way that notable pop songwriters of the 80s used innuendo and sheer metaphors to subvert most public audiences’ tolerance for the risqué, Cam Girl’s lyrics do the inverse. Unabashedly sexual, confrontational, and unflinching in their simplicity and irreverence on the surface, these lyrics present a multifaceted and timely commentary. Instilling messages of empowerment and self-actualization; dispensing of arbitrarily dictated societal, gender, and sexual roles; and rebuking all forms of misogyny and gender discrimination/fetishization, Flesh & Chrome nonetheless makes no sacrifice to irresistible, kinky fun, and therein lies its magic.

Flesh & Chrome by CAM GIRL

Whether it be the stadium-ready “Bubblegum Revolution,” the sassy “Girls Gotta Eat,” or the one-two-three-four-five punch that lights up an unstoppable run from “I Want Your Rock!” to the awesome self-titled closer, Flesh & Chrome offers an endless supply of killer material and no filler across a tight 32 minutes. In the early stages of Flesh & Chrome’s progression, familiar listeners might recognize a similar cocktail of Turbonegro/Blondie touchstones that Untucked showcased. However, hero anthems “Girls to the Top” and “Bubblegum Revolution” rouse the spirit higher with tighter, more focused writing and invigorating choruses. “Face the Facts” and “Stand Back” use that initial push to load in a rebellious Rise Against spirit with more impactful musical energy and lyrical candor than ever. And how can I forget the organ-soaked “Back Sabbath,” a whimsical bit of devilish levity that bisects the record with a summoning of a powerful ass demon for the expressed purpose of dealing for a bigger ass?²

Whatever actually transpired during that “Back Sabbath” worked wonders for Cam Girl, because Flesh & Chrome’s back half is stunning. Even factoring in the occasional—but thankfully brief—in-your-face spoken word verse³ in “I Want Your Rock!” and “Sugar Rush,” the songs burst with vitality and stick with fierce adhesion. Furthermore, bouncy synths bubbling in the background of these tracks provide a new instrumental element that doubles down on chipped tuneage through yet another chorus hero, “Ice Cream N’ Soda Pop.” Reminiscent of a much more adult Wreck-It Ralph OST, these new instrumental baubles complement Kozy’s increasingly metamorphic riffs, leads, and solos across all manner of references and inspirations. But, in no way do these novel excursions across the frets pull away from Cam Girl’s core sound or unmistakable identity. In fact, they reinforce and elevate it. This, in turn, sets up closing duo “Plastic Princess” and “Flesh & Chrome” to gleam as stellar culminations of every songwriting development Cam Girl exhibits across Flesh & Chrome. Boasting fun lyrics, brilliant guitar work,⁴ and spine-tingling choruses featuring some of Lily’s finest exhibitions yet, these B-sides demand my undivided attention so raptly that I fantasize about listening to them again, even before they end.

There’s so much more about Flesh & Chrome that I desperately want to highlight in greater detail. Lily’s bang-on Agnete Kirkevaag (Madder Mortem) vocal tone when she sings more melodic phrases; bassist Robbie Forbes’ throbbing low end counterpoint; Kozy’s sneaky Iron Maiden gallops, and her cool artwork and layout;⁵ Matt Langston’s and Jeremy SH Griffith’s punchy production;⁶ I could go on. And yet, it still feels like Cam Girl is only getting started. If their goal is to become a phenomenon, Flesh & Chrome makes for one helluva launch!

Rating: Excellent!
DR: 5 (Digital mp3) | Formats Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3 | Physical Vinyl
Label: Self Released
Websites: camgirlband.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/camgirlband
Releases Worldwide: June 27th, 2025

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