Amber Arcades

Amber Arcades (born 15 December 1988) is the stage name of Annelotte de Graaf, a Dutch singer-songwriter from Utrecht. De Graaf holds a master’s degree in law, and worked as an assistant for war crimes tribunals at the United Nations; as of 2016 she held a position “assessing the claims of refugees granted asylum in the Netherlands who are seeking to have their families brought over.” Her music career began when she self-recorded an album in New York City, funded by savings she had amassed since her teenage years. Her output attracted the attention of Heavenly Recordings, which released her début full-length album, Fading Lines, in June 2016. In May 2017, Amber Arcades shared their new ethereal track, ‘Wouldn’t Even Know’ featuring Bill Ryder-Jones.

Saint Etienne にモロモロ影響を受けたセカンドアルバム「European Heartbreak」のときが２０１８年で、今年の２月発売の今作「Barefoot On Diamond Road」が３作目なんだなのオランダ、ユトレヒト出身のドリーミーなシンガーソングライター、アンネロッテ・デ・グラフさんアラサーによるおひとり様プロジェクト Amber Arcades。オランダ、アムステルダムからドリームポップ。たしかドリームポップだったんだが今年はアートポップ + シンセポップ。モダンでバロック調でテクノ風情なビートが揚げてくれるから心地良し。

Amber Arcades is the alias of Annelotte de Graaf, the Dutch singer/songwriter who recorded two EPs and a couple of critically-acclaimed albums, the second of which, ‘European Heartbreak’ blossomed with “hints of Lindi Ortega and early Saint Etienne, breezy, dreamy pop more personal than political” The Guardian. Most recently, having moved to Amsterdam from Utrecht she sought a new way of looking at the world. She lost faith in music, then regained it and now delivers her most breath-taking album yet; ‘Barefoot On Diamond Road’, set for release on 10th February 2023, is her first release on Fire Records.

すべてをつつみこむビート音の壁に浸る浸る「Barefoot On Diamond Road」は、My Bloody Valentine がアコースティックになったようなものって書いてあるけどホントかな。PJ Harvey や Portishead みたいな感じも入ってるらしい。眉唾なアルバムなんだろう。