Australian singer-songwriter Amy Vee has brought out her first release of the year with ‘Jackknife’. The track sees Vee exploring admittedly new territory with a slightly fuller and more electronic sound compared to her typical ethereal intentions.
Although utilising an electric guitar, layered vocals and sparse backing chords, there’s an excellent acoustic directness in this song. The beat is calm and contemporary. The vocal, fragile and soft. A classy bass props up a main picking riff delightfully and all components come together for a very relaxed sound that is just so easy to listen to. It’s the kind of track you could picture in a cool quiet club or coffee shop in a crowded city – no one knows about it but ultimately it’s the unassuming gem in a garish treasure chest. This tune really doesn’t try too hard and that’s the beauty of it. With the talent on display, it doesn’t need to.
The song is foreboding, alluding to the 'point of no return' before an imminent crisis. It’s a haunting ode to the power of acceptance. Vee plays guitars, bass, rhodes (electric piano) and percussion on the track, rubber stamping an identity all over. Drums and production come via Gareth Hudson (Hazy Cosmic Jive Studio) and cinematic ambient guitar lines filter in from Michael Romeo.
Amy Vee describes her sound as one that both disquiets and mollifies the soul. Her songs are driven by a poetic lyricism that should resonate with near-any listener – especially those seeking comfort and connection as much as escape.
Vee plays in that mental limbo and is clearly a skilled multi-instrumentalist and composer. Admittedly, the latest works sit somewhere between indie folk and ambient dream pop – two genres, in my opinion, that are marvellous to nestle yourself between.
We can soon marvel further, as back in late 2022, Vee announced her next full-length release will be a live album. Already recorded at an iconic hometown venue, Lizottes Newcastle in February 2023 with a 6-piece band, the final touches will likely (hopefully) see it burst onto the scene later this year.
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