AMAVA – Feel Things (2022)
Describing her music as “music to feel to”, singer-songwriter AMAVA uses poetic storytelling to create an intimate sonic bubble for her listeners. The brainchild of US-based artist Madison Slicker, AMAVA’s sound is entirely unique and purely AMAVA. Releasing her debut single ‘Blush’ in March 2018, Slicker drifts toward pop influences with her intriguing music. Featured on Rolling Stone Magazine India, Vents Magazine, Women In Pop, and with her strong TikTok presence, AMAVA is building a loyal online following. The latest addition to her discography is the single ‘Feel Things’.
While Slicker’s earliest influences stemmed from Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne and Norah Jones, she grew up with a strong folk background. After moving to Nashville, she discovered that her original folk sound began leaning toward the pop genre. Yes, AMAVA certainly has a contemporary pop sound; however, what makes her edgy is how several sub-genres of pop come together in a hazy, retro meets modern-day pop design.
Hot on the heels of her single ‘Like That’, AMAVA adopts an upbeat, high-paced contemporary pop sound with a synth-led composition in ‘Feel Things’. What I find interesting is how the song has an almost “mish-mash” and “all over the place” electronic basis. Slightly chaotic in its frenzied arrangement ‘Feel Things’ tosses you into a sonic whirlpool with bright lights flitting before your eyes. Interestingly enough, it is this confusion that highlights AMAVA’s depth as an artist. Not only is the production outstanding, but its intensity aligns with the concept of the song.
“I want all of my music to sound like it takes place in a glittered, haunted house. A lot of what I write is based on how I’m feeling in that exact moment, and I’ll always want to encapsulate a very specific and certain feeling…This is a pure, honest love song where I didn’t shroud everything in a cover of heavy imagery and mystery and it was all me just saying exactly how I felt.” – AMAVA on ‘Feel Things’
Like a slap in the face with a punch to the chest, ‘Feel Things’ is an overwhelming track to listen to. What I love is while there is a chaotic quality to the song, it has a harmonious flow in controlled chaos, I suppose.
For more from AMAVA check out her Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
