Camp Candle Lights Up Philly’s Dream Pop Scene
By John Saeger
The City of Brotherly Love’s indie scene has a broad range of artists that give the region a vibrant sound. Two of its own, Mark “Nu Ra” Cave and Briana “Hetepsa” Mills-Walker, were brought together through friendship, a tweet, and their shared love of music. Their electropop group has produced a steady stream of dreamy tracks that make Camp Candle one of Philadelphia’s most intriguing talents.
The duo first met at W.B. Saul High School in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia. After graduation, Nu Ra worked in the studio for other artists. Hetepsa answered a tweet from Nu Ra while he was a producer and the two started working together. They began to realize that their work for others could become something of their own in 2014. Hetepsa told The Philadelphia Globe that the pair found they had the opportunity to “Really do something that is ours, for us, by, and actually represents us.”
Camp Candle released their first single, “MR. P” in 2015. The two have put out a steady stream of music since the catchy track first dropped. One of their highlights is “Feelin A Way,” a slick number that brings a modern twist to a Michael Jackson foundation. When discussing the song, both Hetepsa and Nu Ra became excited about the piece’s influences and their collaborative style.
Nu Ra mentioned that he was listening to a lot of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and cited “Baby Be Mine” as his favorite song from the historic album. The bassline for “Feelin A Way” came to him in the shower and he quickly recorded that part of the arrangement. His inspiration became a mutual vibe and the recording sessions for the number were swift. Hetepsa said that when this type of creativity occurs, “You gotta go with it, because you could take yourself out of that energy real quick. You can reflect on it as it already happens, but if you think too much about it, the moment is going to pass by you.”
Camp Candle draws from different eras. Nu Ra said that he is heavily influenced by dream pop and music from the Eighties.
“The overall expression of art in the Eighties: people were more free with how they expressed themselves. I am always a fan of that. I think they pushed the limits a lot in the Eighties. I am really big on dream pop and new wave. Not stuff that it is too avante garde, but things that pushed the envelope at the time. I am always going back to Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson.”
Hetepsa said her listening habits were “weird” in middle school.
“I listened to other music that people might not be listening to. Don’t get me wrong, I always love pop. Pop is my favorite genre. I listened to what my friends were not listening to.”
Camp Candle’s ability to find inspiration goes beyond music. Hetepsa recalled that when they wrote “Save Me,” she drew on what someone close to her was going through at the time. Nu Ra tapped into those emotions through his dream pop listening habits. He noted that he was listening to bands like Dive at the time. The track is something that Hetepsa calls “a gift.”
Camp Candle is not planning on working on music in the immediate future, but they do have an idea of what is next. Nu Ra called the year-to-date an “emotional, spiritual, and physical roller coaster.” He also says that videography is one of his hobbies and that he is looking forward to expanding their creative output to include “mini-movies.” As far as new Camp Candle music, they expect their next project will be an EP. They are trying to figure out how to adapt to recording music given social distancing restrictions in 2020. Until then, Camp Candle fans have an early trove of nuggets to listen to.
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About the Author John Saeger is a music and film writer from Philadelphia. Since 2017 he has been writing the pop-culture blog Long After Dark, a site dedicated to the arts in the City of Brotherly Love and beyond. Email / Twitter
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