NEW EP RELEASE – ‘In My Nature’ Rosie H Sullivan
10 November 2023
Despite her debut album not being out yet, Amelia Coburn is still a critically celebrated and awarded artist, having made the final of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and winning UKE Magazine’s Breakthrough Artist Award. Amelia’s distinctive vision and voice, her talent for compelling storytelling, and her gorgeous playing of the ukulele leave us with much to be excited for regarding this upcoming release!
Talking about the album herself, Amelia says that “I know it’s a cliché for an artist to say they’ve been on a journey… but I’ve truly been on several of them to reach the point of releasing my debut album. I spent almost two years working and living in Paris, St Petersburg and Mexico City – all while keeping my eyes and ears open to the sights, sounds & unusual characters inhabiting these lands that were once so unfamiliar to me. I’ve been able to fill my songs with these rich details, as well as drawing inspiration from literature, the golden age of film & musicals and the rugged North East landscape where I was forged.”
As Amelia says, the album in itself is such a journey, through time and place. The way in which these cities, Paris, St Petersburg and Mexico City, come to life so distinctly on the record whilst still feeling like Amelia was in total control of the stories she is telling of them is a true testament to her creative control and narrative power: even the worlds contained within these larger than life cities are seen by us through her eyes. Despite these various cities that act as backdrops of the construction of this album, and are crucial parts of the stories and melodies woven throughout, the North East of England truly remains at the heart of this project. Lyrics like “in our pride this lion’s heart shall not admit defeat” from Please Go Gently and “the Tees and Tyne are on the run / From this land towards the rising sun” from Sleepy Town, as well as Amelia’s accent that remains distinct throughout, dedicate a love and dedication to this often-overlooked and stereotyped part of England.
There is also just a characteristic tenderness that saturates the album, that remains ever present. Moreover, a consciousness of love and the natural world woven into the clear inspirations of literature, film, and music – products of the human mind – that which is manufactured and that which runs natural, wild and unregulated contrast and complement each other so wonderfully on Between The Moon and The Milkman. On tracks like See Saw, one of my favourite tracks, Amelia takes us on a fairground ride, shows us the world as if through an optical illusion; shows us her world of melancholic magic.
Amelia worked closely with producer and songwriter Bill Ryder-Jones who said of her: “I’ve never in my life worked with someone quite like Amelia and I still can’t quite put my finger on what she is! That’s a compliment by the way – she came in with these incredibly clever, moving songs that just blew me away… It would’ve taken me a day to record just her and her uke but she wanted a bigger sound, so we had a lot of playing around with these arrangements. Honestly, the whole process was just very natural and came together without any fuss. I found the making of the record and Amelia herself so inspiring and I really hope people get the chance to see and hear this incredibly talented artist doing her thing… which is beautifully mad, funny, intelligent and earnest in the best possible sense.” As Ryder-Jones identifies, there is something definite and individual about Amelia that, whilst difficult to wholly identify, makes her a wonderfully exciting new talent in alt-folk! To listen to Between The Moon and The Milkman is to be moved, to be inspired, to enjoy yourself! She also has live dates approaching in May and June across the UK so be sure to get tickets!
