‘In Transit’, the newly released album by Swedish band, ‘The Amazing’ is a unique blend of shoegaze/dream-pop that at times diverts into the lush indie/folk vibes of bands like Belle and Sebastian or Sufjan Stevens.
This is a remarkable piece of work – eleven layered, dreamy and evocative songs that somehow manage to capture within the music the icy chill of the north, while at the same time being warm and enveloping.
Singer, Christoffer Gunrup, says of the album: “In Transit sums us up, I think. We’re always “passing through”, our music is just moments of time, we never really know why it takes its turns.”. Indeed, the music is at times mesmerising and enigmatic – the vocals mixed slightly down so they become an integral part of the musical landscape – slightly obscured, indistinguishable and mysterious.
The opening track and first single off the album, ‘Push’ for example, is classic dream pop, a languorous trip underpinned by an element of ambient reverb and a revery that is almost Celtic. Haunting harmonies create a lush and classic opening track with its vaulting, glorious chorus:
Second single ‘Rewind’ has shard-like crystalline guitars punctuating singer Gunrup’s mournful, melancholic vocals. The accompanying video is as lush and impossibly beautiful as the music:
‘For No-One’ is a rolling expressive upbeat number with a more acoustic, percussive tone highlighting Gunrup’s deeply melodic style. The closing track,’Je Travaille Dans une Banque’, leaves with a nine-minute blast which flirts with a prog rock, slamming instrumental outro.
The album is diverse in sound yet cohesive with its complex layered harmonies and chiming guitars and atmospheric tone.
You can get the album here.
The Amazing are Christoffer Gunrup, Reine Fiske, Fredrik Swahn, Alexis Benson and Moussa Fadera.
