Amber – Room for Understanding (Review)

With their self-titled 4-track EP that was released in 2021, Indie Punk newcomers Amber already caught my attention. The warmth of this dreamy sound that was presented on this EP brings forth a specific character that will urge you to come back to these tracks numerous times. Unfortunately, I did not come across Amber in 2021 already but two years later while browsing surrounding music for Lower Rhine Underground. The fortunate aspect about this late find, though, was the fact that the attention I focused on this EP was immediately uplifted by the announcement of the release of their full-length debut Room for Understanding via Room 11 Records. Apart from the fact that I was very happy to see both Amber and Room 11 Records, a band I favor and a label I actively follow, team up, I was of course keen to find out what the sound on this album will be like.

Amber is a 4-member outfit from the city of Bielefeld that already found attention with their first EP. Not having been lazy after this release, those guys immediately went for the release of their full-length debut Room for Understanding afterwards. After having been able to listen to the pre-released singles “Indigo,” “Heavy View,” “Spine” and “Le Mal Nécessaire,” the entire debut was released. 

First things first and most importantly, the dreamy sound that got me all hooked on the EP was present on the full-length debut from the first minute on. The entire sound that Amber plays is a mixture of multiple styles. Going by the definition of “Indie Punk” can be considered quite an understatement, since there is a lot of genre-bending taking place on this album as was already present on the EP as well. The first track “Spine” introduces the listener to the sound with a highly memorable melody that will lead you through the entire track. The guitars strongly contribute to the construction of the overall dreamy sound that tends to remain present on almost the entire album. The reluctant and supportive drumming slightly remains in the background on this track and pushes forth the focus on the guitars as well as the subtle and harmonic vocals, which deliver the necessary foundation to generate this characteristic tone. When having talked about the EP, I always went to the description of an Emo band. However, I feel that the step up that Amber succeeded regarding the production of this full-length pushed this genre-definition a little further into the background. When trying to grasp the sound that Amber play (at least during the first half of the album), I’d say it can be understood as a dreamy foundation that certainly flirts with Dream Pop, but does not fully immerse in it. Instead, the flange-y melodies that carry a strong part of this tone feel as if being strongly influenced by the sound of Post-Punk, whereas the overall songwriting with a focus on the chorus still revolves in the spheres of classy as well as (emotional) Hardcore Punk.

The following tracks all deliver their very personal character, moving back and forth further into Punk, Post-Punk or Indie. The strong melodies that are present on almost all of the tracks, be it from the guitars or the vocal lines, will certainly make sure to be able to identify every single track thus preventing from a “all tracks sound the same” effect. While “Heavy View” brings back what made you fall for the self-titled EP,  the album-titled abbreviated “R.F.U.,” then also implements the Post-Punk elements a little further specifically during the verses. While diving deeper into the album, the drums then also come back to the forefront, emphasizing the amount of Punk in the music. Lyrically speaking, the title of the album Room for Understanding is already quite revealing, pointing at the fact that the entire album is focused on introspection. The focus on a larger share of the lyrics is set on the reflection of emotional and relationship struggle, which adds to the warming blanket that is offered with the instrumentation.

When having arrived at the second track of this album, “Indigo,” it already became clear that some of the tracks off the EP also found their way onto the full-length debut. Three of the four tracks were re-recorded and added to the tracklist of this album. Nevertheless, these tracks surely do not feel like a mere reproduction of the sound that was present on the EP. Especially the mix of the guitars strongly underlines the emotional, dreamy overall sound that Amber conveys. While the EP version still sticked to a very Punk oriented character, the full-length version feels entirely different. Both versions have their specific beauty, though. Same goes for “Better Days,” which also got a fresh makeover with the re-recording of the track. The one track that feels entirely new, though, is “Chadwick,” that was also taken from the EP and found its way onto the full-length. This track also marks the progression of the sound that takes place somewhat after the first half of this album. On “Chadwick,” specifically the production of the guitars shifts the tone of this track into an entirely different overall feeling. While the EP version was still somewhere between Emo and Punk, the album version rather moves closer towards the sound of a Shoegaze / Dream Pop track because of the guitar play that is pushed a little further into the forefront. While the tracks before all heavily relied on this combination of Alternative, Post-Punk and Punk, it feels as if Amber tried to experiment a little with the remaining tracks of the album. Both the production of the guitars as already mentioned as well as the recording of the vocals a little further in the back has you rather think of later Title Fight or other bands who tried to interconnect Post-Punk and Shoegaze. I really fell for this track a second time on the album version.

This continues, though, when going on with “Upside Down” that marks the spot as the most outstanding track on the whole album. Although perfectly fitting onto this album, it feels as if Amber shifted genres entirely. While “Chadwick” already heavily flirted with Shoegaze, “Upside Down” fully dives in and rather feels like a refreshing version of Shoegaze-driven Deftones. Especially the additional vocals by Mia Pagenkemper add up to this overall very early 2000s gazey vibe. I really loved the fact that the attention of the listener is upheld on the album when diving deeper into adjacent genres towards the end of Room for Understanding. The versatility that Amber showcases on this first release already demonstrates that we should be very keen to follow what this band will release in the future. The final track “Le Mal Nécessaire” then also adds to this spirit. Although moving a little further back towards the sound of the first half of the album, this is done with a different turn that then feels as if the Emo background is highlighted slightly more than before. Especially the sound during the chorus and Levin’s memorable vocals on this track as well as the instrumentation during the verses underline this notion. 

As mentioned already, the album was released via Room 11 Records on a limited to 325 recycling 12” vinyl pressing. I was lucky enough to have been able to get my hands on the first limited to 25 batch that was pre-order exclusive, but all of the colors look absolutely beautiful and there are still copies left. During the mid 2010s I fully fell for the Emo / Alternative sound. Since then, this has been on a hiatus for quite some time. A lot of thanks go out to Amber for having brought this interest back to life with their music. Since this album came out quite some time ago now, I came back to it numerous times. Within the scope of the genres that are intertwined on Room for Understanding, Amber definitely showcase the capability of writing music with a highly recognizable tone.