As someone who likes to write about music there is no greater gift than a song with the ability to stops you in your tracks but they are rare and fragile things. It is even rarer that I am stuck for words but I must admit Amber Run’s new single The Weight succeeded on both counts.
For an indie band to release a four minute track that is essentially an a Cappella song as their first new material from their forthcoming EP The Assembly is one heck of a bold move. But that is exactly what Amber Run have done and it’s darn fantastic.
Frontman Joe Keogh has explained The Weight is about the moment after an argument when you realise how you truly feel. The vocal layering is mesmerizing, punctuated by the sparse melancholic chords of a piano. The result perfectly capturing that moment of clarity.
Despite a number of notable support slots Amber Run have largely flown under the radar for most mainstream audiences thus far but The Weight feels like a real watershed moment for the band. It is a brave and unconventional release, and demonstrates a degree of confidence we haven’t yet seen from them which makes me very excited for the future.
If they continue at the trajectory they have currently set for themselves, and if the new EP has more songs with half the wonder of The Weight we are in for hell of a treat.
