Alex Amor is a star in the making – I’m calling it now. Her new EP, The Art of Letting Go, accomplishes more in five short tracks than a lot of artists are able to in twice that. Alex’s emotive blend of indie-pop has as much in common with Norah Jones as it does with CHVRCHES, the EP’s melodies strong and catchy, but not so saccharine you feel like you need a dental filling afterwards. Simply put, this is one of the best EPs you’ll hear all year. So, of course we had to know more – we asked Alex to take us through The Art of Letting Go song by song with our foolproof questionnaire:
- About the Song
- Favourite Lyric
- Micro-Review (5 words or less)
- 0-10, how hard was it to ‘let go’ of this song?
COLOUR ME
About: ‘Colour Me’ is one of those rare songs that wrote itself. It took maybe 30 minutes. That’s when you know it’s a good song! Everything flows in the writing. It was also one of the first songs I wrote for the EP. The song to me feels nostalgic yet familiar at the same time, like a warm hug on a summer’s day. I wrote ‘Colour Me’ when I was coming out of a dark place and sometimes when you’re in that head space, life can seem grey, monotonous and stale. But then all it takes is one person to come crashing into your life for the world to come back in blazing colour. That’s what falling in love feels like. It’s like you can see again but through this saturation lens where everything is in HD, and the boring parts of life become not only bearable but enjoyable again with this person by your side.
Favourite lyric: ‘…pocket full of sunshine, need shades to see her, golden in the daytime…’
Micro-review: Sun-kissed slow jam
The Art of Letting Go scale: 2 – I was sitting on this song for so long before it was released so it was a mixture of nerves and relief when it came out.
CASUALLY COOL
About: ‘Casually Cool’ refers to a one-sided relationship. Where you put in all the effort to receive mere breadcrumbs back. Love and hate are different sides of the same coin but the real enemy of love is apathy. When a relationship is ending and the texts become fewer and far between, you can feel the other person slowly slipping away, becoming more passive and generally less interested. When you feel like someone doesn’t care about you anymore, it’s the worst feeling in the world. Something I’ve always done is remove myself from situations where I don’t feel wanted because the least we deserve is reciprocation in relationships. Don’t we all deserve to feel appreciated and adored?
Favourite lyric: ‘Take me out for fancy meals, forget to ask me how I feel…’
Micro-review: A bop about apathy
The Art of Letting Go scale: 3 – I was nervous for people to react to the ’80’s vibe but they seem to be enjoying this one!
BAD TATTOO
About: ‘Bad Tattoo’ refers to a time when I really wanted to forget someone. There’s this ‘delete forever’ button on SoundCloud that I wanted metaphorically to press so this person could be permanently erased from my brain. But you can’t really ‘wipe the slate clean’ with people. Some way or another, they will be permanently etched in the corners of your memory. I find it strange that it’s impossible to forget the worst times of your life, but easy to forget the good moments. And this person seemed to persist on my skin like a bad tattoo. Like one of those horrific tattoos you get drunk in Ibiza and regret for the rest of your life. In the pre chorus, I use the concept of time to reflect the stages of letting someone go. It takes a minute to fall in love and a year to stay but a lifetime to live without someone you once loved.
Favourite lyric: ‘All that’s left is a crossed out heart, we paid the price for pleasure…’
Micro-review: Reflective dream-pop with killer bassline
The Art of Letting Go scale: 1 – Easy! I was sitting on this song for a while and it’s one of my favourites off the EP.
HALF OF ME
About: Long distance relationships are hard. It’s just the nature of the beast. You have to let go of someone and let them live their life somewhere new without you. And saying hello just to say goodbye all the time seems so unfair. When you were once enjoying the warmth of their skin, you’re left to settle for the cold embrace of FaceTime instead. You can’t fully enjoy precious moments together because they have a sell by date. Someone’s either coming or always going. You can have the best relationship in the world but if you’re always apart, it’s hard to see a future with that person. When thinking of the instrumental for ‘Half Of Me’, I imagined someone walking through an empty airport just about to board a plane. If you listen closely, I included some ambient noises like ‘the fasten seatbelt’ sound and a cabin crew announcement. When people listen to ‘Half Of Me’, I hope they feel like they’re staring out of a plane window at 3am, watching the clouds dance over the night sky, missing their partner on the other side of the world.
Favourite lyric: ‘Every bone in my body breaks, every time you board the plane…’
Micro-review: Long-distance relationship comfort song
The Art of Letting Go scale: 9 – It was a painfully emotional song to write. So it’ll be strange to relive that feeling when it comes out.
PLEASING PEOPLE
About: Throughout my life I’ve been told to not talk too much or take up too much space, to put everyone’s needs before mine. Maybe it’s a result of growing up with the expectations that come along with being a woman. Maybe it comes from a strong desire to be liked. My natural default is peace keeper, trying to mediate every situation I come across, avoiding conflict at all costs. But being pulled in every direction is exhausting if you forget you’re the one steering the ship. Recently, I’ve fully come to terms with the power of a simple word. No. No, I don’t feel comfortable. No, I’m not going out tonight. No, I refuse to be the idea you have of me anymore. One day I woke up and learnt to trust my gut instincts. And soon enough, I realised that my inner compass could be stronger than other people’s expectations. If you are people pleaser, just know we are more powerful than we think! You have more agency over your own life than you know.
Favourite lyric: ‘Why would I keep the peace at the expense of mine? / I would bite my tongue but then I’d bleed all night…’
Micro-review: Angry pop for empowered women
The Art of Letting Go scale: 1 – I’m ready for this song to belong to my fellow people pleasers! It has a strong message so I hope it connects.
The Art of Letting Go is out today via Young Poet. You can – and should – stream it wherever you enjoy music, or purchase directly from Alex on her Bandcamp page.
