Vancouver Prog-Rockers Brass Camel Channel Classic Rock Greats In New Single ‘King For A Day’

One-of-a-kind Canadian prog/art-rock band Brass Camel is looking to explode from their Vancouver home-base and out into the great beyond with their latest single, “King for A Day.”

The band has made a reputation for itself as a boundary-breaking musical collective that has found solid regional success since its 2018 start. They have played packed shows all over Canada, and have shared the stage with notable acts like Big Sugar and Hey Ocean.

In late 2021, the band decided to hunker down and work on an album of original material with the aim of sharing their signature sound with music fans across the world. While Brass Camel’s debut single, “Easy,” channeled their singular combination of funk, blues, and 70s prog rock, “King for a Day” is more operatic and theatric, with a Queen-like essence. 

The band describes their most recent project as a “four-minute musical adventure,” and they’re not exaggerating. The song incorporates Freddie Mercury-inspired vocal harmonies, attention-demanding drums, unique rhythmic changes, and other-worldly guitar solos mixed with lyrics that nod to medieval themes while maintaining modernity.

From start to finish, the song is indeed an adventure of theatrical musical crescendos and intricate layers of melody and harmony. Their signature blend of progressive rock with themes of blues and funk is paired with an impressive vocal range and rhythmic texture that you don’t often hear these days. 

The song was born from a conversation band leader Daniel Sveinson had with a fellow motorcyclist, who told him that if he was made king for a day, he would call for weekly races up the coast of British Columbia’s Sea to Sky Highway. In just an hour, Sveinson had written the song and demoed it that night.

“King for a Day” is Brass Camel’s second single in the lead-up to their debut album, which is set to drop September 9th.

Photo by Nikki D’Amato