Review Summary: A little too late...
Member of Spanish indie-rock band Kokoscha, Amaia recently decided to try her hand at going solo with a project entitled Ama la. Musically Ama ia starts off gently with twinkling splashes of guitar chords but soon jumps into the deep end of dreamy, spacey electronic territory. Realizing perhaps that things were moving way too fast, "Voces" puts the breaks on for just a second of retrospection. The slight pause operates like a breather as the real muscle of the song lies just around the corner. The listener is swallowed up in a sonic treat as the track builds up to a stifling climax that mirrors the equally painful love story she weaves. Indeed, the heartbreaking lyrics would relate to anyone who has looked back on a previous relationship asking that ever important question, where did things go so wrong? Amaia's voice, escalating alongside the music, becomes more and more emotional as she relates each month of the relationship's tragic downfall. The song does float on a little too long after the excellent crescendo but doesn't change the overall mood of the EP.
Continuing in this vein, Amaia contemplates and weeps about past promises and regrets over soft strummed guitars and a dash of electronic meandering in the short but bittersweet, "Me lo prometiste". The EP's finally is one song, "Invitados a mi vida" played in different ways. The first, oddly titled the second of the two denoted by a II following the track name, brings a dark, almost Depeche Mode like vibe to Ama la's sound. The electronics are brought to the forefront while in the preceding numbers they were content hiding in the background. The splendidly executed synths deliver added dimensions that range from condemnation to remorse. The track builds on the gloomy while still pleasantly upbeat synths as Amaia reassuringly croons over and over, among other words, "No me dediques más mentiras". Again presenting the listener with a lonely despondent mood that is found throughout the EP. The second version of the same track applies a more acoustic, straightforward approach that allows Amaia's calming voice to be heard loud and clear. While this rendition lacks the dire sense of palpitation of the previous, it brings a tone of subtly. As far as flaws go in her debut EP, Amaia's voice while quite lovely, doesn't ever get a chance to fully flex its muscle. Besides the opening number, she sticks to a medium register with a couple of hummed refrains here and there. Musically, Ama la chooses to use simple guitar chords and progressions while sprinkling electronic parts throughout the EP's runtime. While nothing near genre-defining or novel, Ama ia is a solid EP that would appeal to anyone who has a soft spot for female driven singer/song writer anthems with a melancholic twist.
