Amid The Old Wounds - Rebreather 7"

Labels: Dingleberry Records/Rufen Publishings/Slow Down Records/Time As A Color

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 20 May 2022

Tracklist:

1. Rebreather

2. The Broken Key

3. 1121

This long weekend had so much promise and then I got writer's block. To try and combat it I added some resent pick-ups to my record collection and then sat down to write about the newest 7" from German solo-emo/indie band Amid The Old Wounds. The band's latest EP Rebreather was only released a couple of weeks ago and Daniel was kind enough to send me a copy. It follows on from the Vignette EP, which was released in 2020.

I always find Amid The Old Wounds to be very uplifting and ‘Rebreather’ is just that, in it’s own acoustic way. Very clean and melodic with gentle guitar, and vocals. Although at odds with what I’ve just said, It seems to come from a place of frustration lyrically and of wanting there to be more from life, at least that’s how I interpret it anyway. The music is unlike anything else that sits in my collection and I still find that amazing. It’s testament I think to Daniel’s creativeness and honest music.

‘The Broken Key’ is a brief song with some lovely vocal harmonies and lyrics that are quite open, and revealing when you listen to them. Talking of openness, EP closer ‘1121’ talks about being alone and yearning to be significant to someone. It reflects quite heavily on how times have changed and how hard it is to find someone special (again this is my interpretation and music/lyrics are always subjective). It’s the EP’s slowest and most minimalist song in terms of the guitar, which also adds to it’s melancholy.

This is a such a gentle EP, though Amid The Old Wounds has always been that way. I don’t know if there are any plans for a full-length release yet; however, that shouldn’t stop you from finding enjoyment and peace in the band’s music so far.

For Fans Of: You Could Be A Cop, Duct Hearts, Dashboard Confessional, Fog Lake and Koenich

You can stream and purchase Rebreather digitally below, alongside the rest of the back catalogue from Amid The Old Wounds:-

Amid The Old Wounds - https://www.facebook.com/amidtheoldwounds

Physical copies of this EP, alongside a special double 7" box set that also includes previous EP Vignette are available below:-

Slow Down Records - https://slowdownrecords.bandcamp.com/merch

Time As A Color Records - https://timeasacolor.com/

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/Dingleberry-records-and-distribution

Time As A Color Records - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor

You Could Be A Cop/Amid The Old Wounds - Split LP

Labels: Adagio830/Friend Club Records/Motorpool Records/Slow Down Records/Strictly No Capital Letters/Time As A Color Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 27 Aug 2021

Tracklist:

1. You Could Be A Cop - Against The Bleeding Skyline

2. You Could Be A Cop - Untitled

3. You Could Be A Cop - The Cakes Are Burnt

4. You Could Be A Cop - Still The Same?

5. Amid The Old Wounds - A Friend In Need

6. Amid The Old Wounds - You've Reached The End

7. Amid The Old Wounds - Anywhere

8. Amid The Old Wounds - Let It Slide (No Use For A Name cover)

Another working week has flown by and all I want to do is relax. Thankfully, this loverly split featuring Norwegian/English band You Could Be A Cop and German acoustic solo-project Amid The Old Wounds is around to help. Sent to me by my longtime friend Daniel Becker, this record is housed in a glorious gatefold sleeve with black and white collage artwork, while the vinyl itself comes in either sky blue or black (this one), limited to 300 copies in total. Expect soothing indie/emo tones throughout and even a punk cover song too.

I said there’d be soothing tones and I wasn’t lying. You Could Be A Cop start things off on this split with four songs. Opener ‘Against The Bleeding Skyline’ sees guest Tonje Tafjord adding glorious vocal melodies amongst a backdrop of melodic guitars and subtle percussion. There are moments that venture beyond their light emo/punk sound, but they’re only fleeting, ‘Untitled’ sees the band going on their own in a calm and measured manner. It’s hard to think of comparisons but bands like maybe Annabel and Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) might spring to mind.

The unassuming male/female vocals of on ‘The Cakes Are Burnt’ match the instrumentation perfectly, with  Natalie, Marius and Mortem creating something that’s brimming with genuine emotion even when delivered in near spoken-worn fashion at times. The mixing/mastering takes nothing away from that emotion either, allowing You Could Be A Cop to be themselves. The band’s final song ‘Still The Same’ captures their intricate yet easy-listening approach perfectly. The additional vocals by Anders Kojen add extra body to the song, alongside some harsher vocals that sit deeper in the recording.

The second half of the split belongs to Amid The Old Wounds. I don’t know if any of you feel the same way but I prefer these splits where bands have their own dedicated sides, compared to those where bands play one song after the other band’s played one, if that makes sense. ‘A Friend In Need’ picks up where the project’s Vignette 7” left off last year. Both Daniel’s voice and acoustic guitar work are so calming, while the recording is such that the music seems to project itself out of the speakers, even at low volume.

‘You’ve Reached The End’ is a sombre piece of indie pop. It’s slow tempo and pensive vocals act as prompts for reflection, and they work really well. There’s less of an emo influence to Daniel’s music here, but genre lines are still blurred much like elsewhere. ‘Anywhere’ (originally a Wishes On A Plane song) goes on by very quickly, but in a focused way. I think the song-writing throughout this split is very strong, though especially that of Amid The Old Wounds.

The split’s closing song is a cover of ‘Let It Slide’ by No Use For A Name. It’s a great version of the song, which is played in the same singer-songwriter vein and in doing so, it stays recognisable. This split is the perfect accompaniment to these late summer days, as the light begins to fade earlier and earlier each night. Warm, reassuring and peaceful. Love it!

The full split can be streamed digitally below:-

You Could Be A Cop - https://www.facebook.com/youcouldbeacop

Amid The Old Wounds - https://www.facebook.com/amidtheoldwounds

Physical copies can be purchased from the below labels (you can also buy digital downloads from them too):-

Adagio830 - https://adagio830-records.bandcamp.com/

Friend Club Records - https://www.friendclubrecords.com/

Slow Down Records - https://slowdownrecords.bandcamp.com/

Strictly No Capital Letters - https://sncl.collective-zine.co.uk/

Time As A Color Records - https://timeasacolor.com/

Adagio830 - https://www.facebook.com/ADAGIO830

Friend Club Records - https://www.facebook.com/FriendClubRecords

Motorpool Records - https://twitter.com/rufenpub

Slow Down Records - https://twitter.com/recordsslow

Strictly No Capital Letters - https://www.facebook.com/strictlynocapitalletters

Time As A Color Records - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor

Amid The Old Wounds - Vignette 7"

Labels: Time As A Color

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 07 Aug 2020

Tracklist:

1. Vignette

2. Great Expectations

3 Instant Stars (Demo)

I have a ton of new music in physical formats to listen to and this 7" EP from Amid The Old Wounds is just one. Long time friend and awesomely creative musician/human being Daniel (also of Duct Hearts and Wishes On A Plane) sent me this a little while ago. The EP was released in early August by Time As A Color Records and was pressed onto 200 copies, 150 on black and 50 on clear purple vinyl, and was housed in a screen-printed card sleeve with a folder insert and centre labels featuring the heart above. The music contained within the grooves is acoustic emo. 

It’s been a strange day and I found no rhythm whatsoever while at work, so relaxation was well and truly needed. No heavy music this evening, instead the soothing melodic tones of Amid The Old Wounds and EP opening song ‘Vignette’, which is a quietly played and very moving. It allows for plenty of reflection, which is sometimes lost during the pace of modern life.

As this period of 2020 has taught many of us, life is fragile and sometimes slowing down is good. We’re all stuck in routine and taking a step back can be a great thing. It struck me while listening to ‘Great Expectations’ that there’s an element of that within the recording and it perhaps helped to shape the artistic process that Daniel went through.

EP closer ‘Instant Stars’ is a demo version and it’s short but sweet. Both the layered acoustic guitar and the gentle vocals bring a swathe a calm across you when listening and leaves you blissfully wanting more. People’s ingenuity and creativity has come to the fore during the recent uncertainty and none more so than here. Amid The Old Wounds warms the coldest of corners.

You can stream Vignette and buy it as a name-your-price download below:-

Physical copies can be purchased here - https://timeasacolor.com/amid-the-old-wounds-vignette-7/

Also, if that wasn't enough of a reason to visit Time As A Color, the label is also selling skateboarding accessories and shoes too.

Time As A Color - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor/