Ever since exploding onto the indie rock scene in 2017 with their debut self-titled album, The Amazons just haven’t stopped.
Shows across the world and countless festival sets, they are a band you can’t have missed. Riding the wave of a debut album full of an indie-rock sound that seemed all so familiar, yet still so fresh, The Amazons saw their first album reach heights that bands in their genre just can’t seem to manage anymore.
When the Reading-based group had a chance to settle back in the studio to pen the self-titled’s follow up, they had a big mission ahead. Cleverly, The Amazons have chosen to change things up. Turning to the bluesy influence of Howlin’ Wolf, Future Dust sees the group’s sound turn a little darker. It’s a ballsy move too. “We’re very prepared to fail”, frontman Matt Thomson tells The Independent.
Really, there’s no need for Thomson to worry. ‘Mother’ kicks off Future Days with a minute and a half’s build-up before Thomson enters the fray with, “Friends wanna kill me, but I give them all my loving anyway”. Nearly five-minutes long, ‘Mother’ lands with a rockstar confidence that makes it clear The Amazons won’t settle being one-album wonders.
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In a blink, ‘Mother’ transitions into the plucky ‘Fuzzy Tree’, a clever flick that highlight’s the group’s growth into industry big hitters, and you’re well into the world of Future Dust. ’25’ is a track that will have fans talking, those blues influences evident in the background, whilst ‘Doubt It’ is as anthemic as they come, the build-up from interlude ‘The Mire’ beforehand helping it on its way there. Little needs to be said about single ‘End Of Wonder’ which will light up stages when the band take Future Dust on the road later this year, whilst ‘All Over Town’ sees The Amazons nod to that indie sound that gave birth to 2017’s debut. Perhaps the only thing really missing from Future Dust is a moment for Thomson’s vocals (which are some of the very best around) to shine in the way that the stripped-back ‘Palace’ did on The Amazons.
It’s possible that a lot of fans tuning in after falling in love with the band’s debut album won’t quite find what they are looking for on Future Dust. And by no means is that a bad thing. The Amazons have grown from the clean, fresh-faced indie rock behind their self-titled to become an outfit capable of evolving. Now, the group just have to bring Future Dust to life live and, if you’ve ever seen the band live, you know that won’t be a problem.
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Their biggest ever headline tour in November culminates in a stop off at the O2 Academy Brixton and a summer full of festivals, a huge slot at hometown Reading Festival looks to be a highlight, will decide exactly what Future Dust becomes.
Rating – 4/5