My Autumn Amor offers up a taste of 70s settled rock on the idea-packed EP, Quiet Girl
Emotionally charged, theatrical songwriter Thomas Monroe – AKA My Autumn Amor – certainly knows how to build vivid stories in his music. With an early childhood spent listening to the greats such as The Beatles, Bowie and T-Rex, these influences all come through on his EP Quiet Girl, but it also has an element of heartache and sadness to discover.
Starting with the EP-titled Quiet Girl, we’re thrown into a contemplative flow as Monroe’s vocals play along gently against acoustic guitar. This slowly builds as a beefy bassline and drum track add to the atmosphere before arriving at a 70s Bowie-esque chorus. At times it does feel as though a couple more layers could make it stand out a little more, but the pleasant melody helps it along.
RSVP follows, relying on a more synthy sound that actually plays to the artist’s strengths. You can tell he’s enjoying singing this one, maybe with lyrics that hit a little closer to the heart: “You came into my life and took a part of me with you, I’d like to say I’m fine, but I know that’s not the truth”. Once again the chorus manages to set itself apart from the verses in a good way, and it’s where we really see the track brighten up.
Monroe tries a variety of sounds and styles throughout the EP, and at times it feels as though he’s finding it difficult to find his own. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t some great moments, however. Believe is perhaps the most musically diverse, once again delving into a settled, 70s rock sound that builds amongst one of the stronger vocal performances on the record and a fun chorus. Tempest Eye follows as an example of how to allow a song to breathe, Monroe using all of its 5 minutes running to time try different flows and ideas.
The EP ends on The Out, a gentle, heartwarmer that gradually allows drums to help round off the more acoustic edges. Strangely, it reminds me at times of Kurt Cobain’s singing style, of course without the gruffness or attitude – a much more uniquely laid-back version.
Quiet Girl by My Autumn Amor has some great ideas throughout but can suffer at times from a lack of momentum. That’s not to say that it’s not worth a listen; there are some genuinely great moments where Monroe really comes out of his shell and shows us what he can do. The record ends in a strong fashion and it will be interesting to see where the artist goes next.
Score: 2.5/5
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