The Amazons - How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?

Hier wird weder Werbung für einen Onlineversandhändler gemacht, noch ist dies eine Ansammlung weiblicher Musikerinnen. Matt Thomson (Gesang, Gitarre), Chris Alderton (Gitarre), Elliot Briggs (Bass) und Joe Emmett (Schlagzeug) konnten diesem Bandnamen wohl genau so viel abgewinnen, wie die englischen Fans breitbeinigem Gitarrenrock der Musik von The Amazons. Als Resultat daraus landeten ihre ersten beiden Alben „The Amazons“ (2017; #8) und „Future Dust“ (2019; #9) jeweils in den Top Ten im Vereinigten Königreich. 

Für „How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?“ stellen sich The Amazons breiter (glücklicherweise nicht noch breitbeiniger) auf, haben aber weiterhin die großen Arenen im Blick. Begleitet wurden sie auf diesem Entwicklungsschritt vom Produzenten Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Adele, Kasabian).

„Bloodrush“ und „Wait For Me“ schnüffeln an der Erfolgsspur von Sam Fender, „Say It Again“ und (zunächst auch) „One By One“ klingen irgendwie nach Bon Jovi, „Northern Star“ setzt ein Häkchen hinter der Kategorie „obligatorische akustische Ballade“ und das am Bombast kratzende „For The Night“ positioniert das Piano im Zentrum des Arrangements. 

Mit Platz 5 erreichte „How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?“ die bisher höchste Chart-Platzierung für The Amazons. Das Album ist als CD und Kassette erhältlich, die Schallplatte gibt/gab es als black Vinyl, transparent Vinyl in alternativem Artwork, sparkle white Vinyl mit Bonus-LP und als exklusive Zoetrope Edition via Blood Records.

The Amazons in Deutschland:

09.11.22 Berlin, Urban Spree

10.11.22 Köln, MTC Club

 

The album more or less follows this pattern throughout. Tracks are stripped-back and minimalistic in comparison to previous work and, more often than not, they are vocal-driven, intimate and uplifting. There’s a Light, one of the more restrained songs on offer, lays soft vocals over the scattered, rattling guitar runs, and an infectious, cyclical bass line that builds up into a clash of drums and a sincere choral vocal section. The lead single, Bloodrush is chock-full of chiming guitar, chanting vocals and bright pop-rock tones. One by One is a minimal entry with real drive that opens as a raw, reverberating acoustic piece before descending into a cacophony of slashing guitar lines and darker rock tones to which Thompson lends his roughest vocals.

At times, however, How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? begins to feel a bit over-indulgent. Songs like Northern Star, an acoustic guitar-laden love song, are loaded with saccharine vocal lines and a whirring chorus that all feels a bit too one-note. The group remedy this with a handful of tracks that are more reminiscent of their previous work; in particular the dark-rock tones of Ready for Something will satisfy older fans craving something more familiar.

(The Upcoming)

 

(...) the record rests within the idea of the live aspect, that communal experience that can lift – so everything sounds amplified and pumped up – the driving drums on How Will I Know? and the intensity of Bloodrush. Say It Again, with its broken beats and clear guitars dance around Thomson’s folk-influenced vocal, and There’s A Light channels The Killers-meets-The Cure groove, with Northern Star drawing a jangly guitar-led soundscape. Wait For Me is all strident, heavy guitars, and One By One pares things back, making good use of Thomson’s vocal.

Ready For Something brings a scuzzy weightiness, which weaves through the balladeering of For the Night. The glassy guitar sound of In The Morning prefaces the majorly anthemic I’m Not Ready, which is all indie-pop joy.

(The Irish Times)