Amalie presents indie pop with an upside-down view.
‘Lucky are the mischief makers, for we shall always wear smiles’, opens Amalie’s track ‘Good Luck Black Cat’. It’s a line that sets the sweet yet distinctive Alice-In-Wonderland tone of the track – mischief abounds, things are turned upside down, chaos creeps out everywhere and anything could happen. But it’s all so gently and gleefully presented that it never frightens.
Amalie is a Melbourne-based singer-songwriter. She’s already released a couple of singles, but her talents don’t stop there – she also painted the striking cover art for this single, and finds herself selling portraits to fund her music.
‘Good Luck Black Cat’ is a lighthearted indie-pop ode to individuality, and turning the world a little bit upside down.
‘Rules are made by rulers, and no one rules us’ sing the stream-of-consciousness style lyrics, as Amalie paints a picture of a world ‘full of fools’, yet that would be ‘so dull without the dreamers’. Her vocals are incredibly effective, with a real storytelling quality and tons of personality, not to mention tuneful. The melodies are quirky but crafted, with the titular ‘good luck black cat’ hook being memorable. (And who is the black cat? My guess is that it refers to the traditional symbol of bad luck, which Amalie encourages in a spirit of gentle chaos.)
The production is effective, with bouncing distorted synths and piano lines creating an indie-pop sound reminiscent of artists like Marina and the Diamonds and Em Beihold. There are some interesting harmonic choices and some ethereal backing ‘oohs’, topped off with snatches of Amalie’s laughter. A track that shows a lot of identity for such a young artist.
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Words Eden Tredwell
