Camp Cope

As a regular of the Australian singer/songwriter circuit and with a handful of solo releases under her belt, McDonald decided to bring together Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich on bass and Sarah Thompson on drums to flesh out her solo project. Hellmrich had previously played in Sydney band Palmar Grasp, while Thompson had previously played in Brisbane band Razel. The band was named Camp Cope as a reference to Sydney beach Camp Cove, as Sydney native Hellmrich was feeling homesick.[11] The band played support slots with the likes of The Hotelier, Andrew Jackson Jihad, and Waxahatchee, as well as playing their own headline shows.[12]

The trio entered the studio, and by the end of the year had recorded their debut album with producer Sam Johnson. Released on Poison City in April 2016, their eight-track self-titled debut earned them critical acclaim and entered the ARIA albums chart at number 36.[12] "Lost: Season One", a single from the album referencing the television show Lost, was performed by Camp Cope for Like a Version in September 2016, along with a cover of "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.[13]

After a joint tour of Australia at the end of 2016 with Philadelphia's Cayetana, Poison City issued a limited split single that featured new material by both bands.[12]

In 2017 Camp Cope supported Against Me! and Modern Baseball on their Australian tours, toured the United States with Worriers, performed at the St Jerome's Laneway Festival and sold out two shows in the Drama Theatre at the Sydney Opera House. At the end of the year, they returned to the studio to record their second album.[12]

The band's second studio album, How to Socialise & Make Friends, was released on 2 March 2018 by Poison City Records and Run for Cover Records.[12] In June and July 2018, they took part in their second United States tour, co-headlining with Run For Cover label mate Petal.[14] In late August and early September 2018 they undertook a partial UK and European tour with English band Caves.[15]

In early February 2019, Camp Cope announced their first North American headlining tour starting in April,[16] supported by Thin Lips, Oceanator and An Horse.[17] On this tour, Maq has started playing a new unreleased song.[18] In September 2019, they embarked on a UK tour with post-punk band Witching Waves.[19]

Camp Cope is known for McDonald's powerful voice, Hellmrich's distinctive basslines, and Thompson's 'steady, stoic drumming'.[29][30] They have been described as 'rough, minimal rock [with] a punk edge',[31] and the lyrics 'articulate human entanglements with a lack of sentimentality that belies how much [McDonald] cares'.[32] Songs are initially written by McDonald, who then sends a 'crappy phone recording' to Hellmrich and Thompson, before they all come together and create the finished song.[33]

Camp Cope has been influenced by many bands, such as Philadelphia indie rock bands Hop Along, and Cayetana, whose records they gave their engineer before recording How to Socialise & Make Friends. Bassist Hellmrich is also influenced by Joy Division bassist Peter Hook and blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus.