Track Listing
Flowers (Interlude1)
Hurt
Honeylight
Funeral
I Hope It’s Not Like This Forever
Ride
Lovers (Interlude 2)
How To Be Human
I Miss You
The Beautiful Victorious
Always Blue
The Start
The Last Dance
How To Be Human is more than just a rock record, it’s a journey through turmoil. Amber Run strikes back with an album describing unwelcomed ghosts and flashbacks, times when darkness shrouds everything. It’s a well rounded LP too, one that exceeds expectations, even though this band has conquered so much since their inception. From the start of How To Be Human, the band doesn’t lose focus, and they lay down their vulnerabilities.
Sadness ripples through it all. Beneath the sound, the lyrics enchant even though they’re conveying dark days, bittersweet feelings, and dismal times spent stuck in limbo looking at the world go by and the years mount up. Notably stark too, these anthems don’t flounder as they keep the pace and the tone steady throughout.
It’s a little chaotic but the record is admirable, pushing these musicians to the limits of their talents, anchoring them towards the light. Hungry for love and the taste of alcohol, the band has gone through mayhem to get to where they are. Their hopes and dreams rely on their music too, and while they sing for a reason, they’re hurting as a collective.
13 songs make up this record, and it’s worth shining a spotlight on ‘Funeral’, a piano-driven song, pulling at the heartstrings, and detailing a road to dismay. The vocals are soft, and the lyrics are poetic. ‘How To Be Human’ is acoustically driven by comparison, and the vocals raise this song up. Every lyric means something here, and the lyrical content sparks wonder.
‘Always Blue’ again utilizes the acoustic guitar to great effect. The story goes on and imprints deeply into the mind, with structure and intent. It’s a stripped effort, rallying some hope., while ‘The Last Dance’ is a worthy swansong to close this LP out, a track that starts with guitar tones and soft vocal work, and as a closing statement, surpasses it.
Amber Run dodges clichés on How To Be Human, and the record stands out as well worth a listen.
