There’s something wonderfully childlike and exciting about finding a band that just makes you smile. It could be the lyrics, the melody, the chorus, a guitar solo, or all of the above. That moment when the song hits and the smile is pure magic. As in love, when you have that spark, there really is no going back. And that’s the beauty of Amarionette. They have that unquantifiable stardust that makes you grin like a 6-year-old eyeing up a wall of pick ‘n’ mix. And their new EP Evolution feels like your mom has just told you: ‘you can have whatever you like’. To cut through the hyperbole and get straight to the point, Evolution is stunning. It’s 22 minutes of pure musical bliss. There are no weak tracks, no filler and no needless self-indulgence. Each song is built to be short, sharp and to the point. They’re in and out before having a chance to overstay their welcome. It’s an EP that positively skips from track to track with effortless easy-going style. From the bright and breezy, melody heavy opener ‘No Control’, to the slick and unexpected guitar solo in ‘Nostalgic Love’, Evolution just keeps giving you reasons to go back and listen to it again. ‘B. Nasty’ is fun and playful while ‘Diamond Dust’ manages to be a little bit Emo, a little bit Rock, and a little bit Indie all at once. Amarionette are a band who have honed their own sound and really found their own lane. As a result, it can be easy to become complacent or unimaginative, but Evolution feels sharp, fresh and exciting. It’s mind-boggling that Amarionette haven’t made a major dent in the mainstream consciousness up to now. But maybe Evolution can be the record that changes all of that. It certainly deserves to be. Score: 9/10
Facebook: /AmarionetteOfficial/
Twitter: @AmaribandLV
Bandcamp: /amarionette.bandcamp.com/