As the UK finds itself approaching the climax of perhaps one of its most turbulent periods to date, Nottingham boys Amber Run believe the answer is within as they release their anticipated third album ‘Philophobia’.
Two years on from their last album, much has changed in the world, but the boys stay true to their classic musical algorithm as they broach the idea of soul-searching and love over ten explorative tracks.
Love is the go-to concept for the majority of artists today, a tired and often cliché theme for fresh bands to try and explore, but with Amber Run delving deeper into multi-faceted themes of the feeling, the album manages to sound fresh and exciting for the most part.
‘Philophobia’, the effects of love both positive and negative on a person, is a fitting name for this album. ‘Neon Circus’ and ‘No One Gets Out Alive’ promise a balls-to-the-wall record, followed up by ‘What Could Be As Lonely As Love’, a sublime, Gary Numan-esque, filthy bass-driven track, all of which are well-complemented by strong lyrics and tight musicality. Think early-era Muse and you’re on the right track.
However, the album from the midpoint feels repetitive, threatening to dissolve into a stare-from-your-window-train-journey situation. The effect of falling in love with the initial tracks is being left with a feeling of frustration, as we know the band are capable of more but need to venture further into the unknown.
Moments of colour flourish, particularly with penultimate track ‘Entertainment’, and it is by no means a bad album, but with a lacklustre second-half and a handful of tracks missing the mark of quality we are used to from Amber Run, ‘Philophobia’ is aching for the versatility the first tracks teased.
‘Philophobia’ is out September 27 and can be pre-ordered here.
You can catch the band on tour across UK this October on the following dates:
4: O2 Ritz, Manchester
5: Rock City, Nottingham
6: O2 Academy 2, Birmingham
8: Wylam Brewery, Newcastle
9: SWG3 TV Studio, Glasgow
11: Y Plas, Cardiff
12: SWX, Bristol
13: MK11, Milton Keynes
14: Junction, Cambridge
16: Lemon Grove, Exeter
17: The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth
18: O2 Academy, Oxford
19: The Roundhouse, London
Tickets can be found here. Watch the video for ‘Affection’:
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