EP Review: Alex Amore - 'The Art Of Letting Go'
London-based Glasgewian artist Alex Amor has just released her long awaited second EP ‘The Art Of Letting Go’. With her second EP she’s released a collection of five honest and eclectic indie dream pop songs that create a longing for more.
Her refined alternative pop hooks make for a sweet surprise, a welcome breather, and a well-produced coming together of thought through sounds. Her colourful vocals are the centre of attention and the outstanding factor of, in particular, ‘Colour Me’. She opens her EP with a jazzy pop song, driven by a subtle drum beat and a pensive sound throughout. With ‘The Art Of Letting Go’ she has created a dreamlike and indulgent collection of indie pop. ‘Casually Cool’ is the perfect example of indulgence as she tells a story of unanswered and complicated love in her own poetic way, all dressed in catchy hooks and a chorus that you’ll still be singing for days.
‘Bad Tattoo’ is a collaboration between Amor and Manchester band The Deep Blue, The Deep Blue bringing soft harmonies and a more alternative sound to Amor’s distinct pop voice. Together they discuss the complicated emotions that are attached to people entering and departing life. With ‘Half Of Me’ she digs even deeper, dives into a bittersweet ballad driven by her angelic vocals and a warm, comforting soundscape. Being the most heart wrenching song on the EP, ‘Half Of Me’ has become my favourite as it is open, honest and personal.
On writing this EP, Alex says: “‘The Art of Letting Go’ is a collection of songs dedicated to the universal theme of letting go. Letting go of the past, people who hold us back and the things that no longer serve us in life. It’s about getting out of your own way, choosing what's best for ourselves and surrendering to the moment, taking each day as it comes. My intention for this project is to help people feel uplifted, more at ease and inspire them to find their own ways of letting go." We hear this message in all five songs on the EP but most uplifting is closing single ‘Pleasing People’, which is a happy-go-lucky indie anthem showing Alex on her most stubborn, and most exciting. This is the mantra, the inspiring and uplifting message I needed that ends so abruptly all I want is to listen to ‘The Art Of Letting Go’ again in its entirety!
Rising star Alex Amor strikes an emotional chord with this well-balanced EP, for which she worked with several producers including Karma Kid, Mack Jamieson and Gianluca Buccellati. It is adamant that a team of stars worked on the five track counting EP as it translates her past experience as well as inspiration taken from a myriad of artists such as Blood Orange, Kurt Vile, HAIM and Men I Trust. She took all of these inputs to create an uncompromising sound that resonated with me, by talking about subjects I have been dealing with, and dressing them up in a positive and empowering pop sound that I am still swaying along to even though the EP has already finished!
Words by Laura Rosierse
