It’s been over twenty years since Warrington band ‘The Ambersons’ first swaggered onto the UK music scene with their own distinctive brand of polished indie pop. At the time, the lads were predicted to achieve great things, but nothing really happened.
Whilst many bands came and went, ‘The Ambersons’ plugged away for years, unresentfully watching support acts they often nurtured go on to varying degrees of success. Finally, after years of dedication and hard slog, to the delight of the band’s loyal following, ‘The Ambersons’ signed to the north-west label, Ameritz Records.
With such a history, it would be fair to expect debut album ‘MAPS’ to essentially be a compilation of the band’s first twenty years of writing, but no, according to the band, the album took shape over the eighteen months immediately before the band started the recording process. A couple of dozen songs were whittled down to a collection of sixteen before a final honing resulted in the ten tracks that make the record.
The title ‘MAPS’ says it all. The songs represent the band’s journey and, according to Andy Fairnington from the band, this is a journey of loneliness, love and loss, finding your place, your meaning, your soul…. The journey of addiction and the journey of the road to recovery, all much more believable and palatable coming from a band with years under its belt.
From the theatrics of the opening track ‘Funny Ways’, through the pub rock swagger of ‘Tin Hat Crown’, the timeless indie pop classic of ‘Up In Arms’, to the closing anthem ‘Smile’, the band’s exemplary songwriting and eye for detailed arrangements and production are evident everywhere.
The production bucks the current indie trend for soulless, expansive-sounding records and with its constantly evolving arrangements and lashings of Abbey Road-esque touches thrown in for good measure, this is a record that stands out from the current crowd.
Whilst it’s true ‘The Ambersons’ may not be the most exciting young band around, if you like your indie pop with a load more sophistication than you’re gonna get from the next lot of young northern dickheads, you should definitely check this record out.
FOLLOW THE AMBERSONS ON FACEBOOK // INSTAGRAM // X