W: Meg Jackson I: Meg Ha
The record posits that pop music can be a "spoonful of sugar" to help swallow life’s hardest pills.
Victoryland, the Brooklyn-based project of musician Julian McCamman, is undergoing a profound transformation. His label debut, My Heart Is A Room With No Cameras In It, set for release on January 23, 2026, via Good English, marks a triumphant and experimental pivot into the world of pop-rock. This new body of work represents a sharp left turn from his 2024 record, Sprain, where discordant guitars and raucous DIY recordings defined the project's sound. Now, pop sensibilities have taken center stage, aided by the guidance of producer Dan Howard (Forth Wanderers, Malice K). The two previously collaborated on the final album for McCamman’s former band, Blood, and that partnership encouraged McCamman to hone his sprawling home demos into something both celebratory and grit-flecked.
The journey toward this record began last fall with the lead single, “No Cameras.” The track immediately caught the attention of tastemakers like Paste Magazine and Stereogum, with the latter comparing its "skittering" energy and "acoustic pop jubilation" to the legendary Robert Smith of The Cure. It was quickly followed by “Fits,” a glitched-out exploration of desire that balanced shrill guitars with a sense of hope, and “Let Down,” an exuberant meditation on disappointment that showcased McCamman’s more refined, lilting vocals. Most recently, the final single “I’ll Show You Mine” has arrived to complete the picture—a track described as a "final pop egress" that celebrates vulnerability with airy guitars and joyous synth runs.
"Victoryland packages the most exhausting realities of life into a fun five minutes, making you feel like you’re not alone."
The sonic architecture of the album was built between a Bed-Stuy basement and a Williamsburg studio, resulting in a unique blend of lo-fi and hi-fi production. Every song maintains the "DIY grit" of Julian’s initial home-recorded loops while benefiting from the glossy, radio-ready polish of Howard’s production. The lyrics are equally dynamic, shifting from humorous, self-aware popisms like “‘you and I’ will soon be, used to be ‘us’” to the crushing, bitter reality of lines like “i’ll never forgive you, that’s how I keep you close.” There is an immediacy to McCamman’s delivery—a fervor so intense it leaves the listener wondering if the artist slept at all during the recording process.
Ultimately, My Heart Is A Room With No Cameras In It wrangles with heavy subject matter, including love, disconnection, and sexual frustration, but its final statement is one of healing. The record posits that pop music can be a "spoonful of sugar" to help swallow life’s hardest pills. By packaging exhausting realities into infectious 2-to-5-minute bursts, Victoryland strives to make the listener feel a little less alone. Fans can experience this new sound live at the album release show on January 29 at Union Pool, where McCamman will bring these sprawling experiments to the stage.