It’s always a toss-up when thinking about which part of Ámaris’ style is more interesting: her surprising and clever lyrics or the way she uses electronic music to create sound that manages to be both pop and non pop, EDM and not EDM and indie and not indie. Since the two elements work together to create the unique sound that has now created three solo albums since her EDM project Geiko went on the back burner, with the latest, 26, out in May on Puma Punku Records
Speaking of Geiko, the project does make an appearance on the album’s closing track, “Supernova.” Still quite minimal and ambient per Ámaris’ solo style, “Supernova” has more of a discernible house beat than other tracks on the album. It must have been one of her favorites as well, because Ámaris commissioned a short film inspired by the song and directed by Andy Quan (in player below).
“Supernova” may be one of Ámaris’ favorites on 26 but it’s hardly the only highlight. Tracks like “I Need You” and “Blurred” see her playing with vocal timbre and layered composition while others like “Last Day in the World” and “Jelly” pay homage to Ámaris EDM roots while still being true to her vision for the current project. Still others like “Diamond” are purposely sparse so the listener will really focus on the impact of her voice. Spoiler: the impact is big, and so is this album.
Ámaris is one of those rare artists who skates on the edge of multiple genres and styles and even of her own work. She both fits beautifully and doesn’t fit at all in multiple categories, much in the way Bjork and Aphex Twin do: at some point it’s useless to classify these artists because they are simply in their own stratum or creation. With 26, Ámaris once again declares that space she’s created as categorically, defiantly and only hers.
26 is out now and can be streamed on Spotify or purchased on Ámaris’ Bandcamp page. Check out her other videos, including the music video for “Jelly” on her YouTube channel.