Intimacy and enormity are difficult beasts to make coexist. Nottingham’s Amber Run, however, straddle them with masterful control. They’re currently gearing up for the release of their Pilot EP, and they’ve already released cinematic videos for the title track and EP highlight I Found. Sounding and looking like genre heavyweights, Amber Run have proven for the last year that they are more than ready to breakout (and if their Youtube views are anything to go by), they are well on their way.
Whilst Pilot boasts a mighty chorus – something the boys are not short on supplying – and timeless guitar lines flitting boundlessly between vibrancy and evocative drama, I Found is capable of stopping you dead in your tracks. A gorgeous, simpler arrangement that isn’t afraid to underline and exaggerate its vulnerability. The hook is an earworm that genuinely catches you unaware and the layered vocals truly are something to behold – the combination of haunting atmospherics sitting pretty atop the melancholic piano lines is genuinely breathtaking. With subtle additions and growth, I Found’s complexity only evolves a little through its four and a half minutes, but the emotional pull gives its final chorus a lot more power than it seems to have.
Aside from the tracks on the upcoming EP, the Snow Patrol-esque charm of Spark boasts another sublime video and the kind of ‘let the light in’ lyric that begs to be sang along with. Elsewhere, last year’s Heaven is a more subdued mid-tempo affair that exemplifies their incredible ability to give that final refrain the biggest kick possible, this this time by dropping the instrumental out for an accapella delivery. These boys are talented musicians, that much is clear – however, what makes this five-piece stand out is their songwriting; as proven by their flaw-free output so far, Amber Run’s passionate, soaring rock will give their stadium-sell-out peers a run for their money.
Click the icon on the photo to watch Amber Run’s video for I Found.Â
