Dutch band NOTE TO AMY was formed back in 2005, and have been an active live band ever since then. As far as recording material goes, they released an initial EP back in 2007, and in 2010 a single appeared prior to the release of their debut album “Midnight Arsons / Morning Ghosts”, which was released in 2011 through Graviton Music Services.
When investigating this band, I was curious to see them describe their music as punk rock. And while I do know that punk rock means something else these days than it did back in the late 70’s, Green Day a more prominent name than Sex Pistols in that context for most people lacking an unhealthy interest in music history, I’d still say that Note to Amy is rather far removed from punk in sound as well as spirit. That there are traces of it in their music is another matter entirely, and as I haven’t inspected the material they are creating these days this description might as well be correct about their current choice of style. But as far as their debut album is concerned, I find if not a totally erroneous description then at least a flawed one.
I do find that Note to Amy share many similar characteristics with many other artists Graviton have signed though. While the label does have a rather varied roster of artists, of which I notice that Note to Amy is a past associated artist rather than one presently associated with the label, they have that mainstream-oriented, accessible vibe to them that appears to be a common aspect in the artists signed to Graviton. This is, to put it that way, music well suited to radio airplay and music that should have a broad reach as far as a potential audience is concerned. The chorus sections are compelling, often with a singalong or anthemic quality to them, the songs are short and with an emphasis on melody, the mix and production is fairly smooth and polished.
Note to Amy breaks the mould somewhat for the label in that they aren’t what one would describe as a purebred metal band though. Instead this is a band that appears to hover on the borderlands between hard rock and metal, and with more of an alternative streak to them than a heavy metal based one at that. They do use short, compact riffs with a punky vibe to them fairly frequently, but always combined with riff constructions of a more melodic variety where the intensity and choice of tonal range decides whether they should be described as hard rock or metal. This latter aspect is occasionally given an additional melodic element by way of a running guitar solo texture on top, but the main melodic element here are actually the lead vocals. Note to Amy has a strong lead vocalist, with a melodic voice that also serves as a direct contrast to the darker toned and relatively rough guitar sound. I’ll also note that on a fair few occasions I did get a grunge vibe from this band, as well as some pop punk vibes. The latter most prominently in the chorus sections. The punky vibes and the subtle grunge tinge I thought I heard are the main reasons for tossing the alternative tag their way, as I might as well might have described this band as a melodic hard rock band with metal tendencies or a melodic metal band with hard rock tendencies. The differences between these three are subtle at best, and I kind of suspect that this is a band that will see quite a few divided opinions among genre nerds.
For me this all adds up to a clever band that have established a distinct and polished sound that arguably has it’s foundation in melodic hard rock, flavored with punky tendencies and with a liberal amount of metal added to the mix. This mix has been developed into a fairly smooth and well polished end result, of the kind that should see them having a potentially broad reach as far as a buying public and fanbase is concerned. And while their debut album isn’t of the kind that comes with any really surprising elements it as a very well made and executed product, and one that merits a listen by those who tend to enjoy the types of melodic hard rock and metal that is given radio airplay on the bigger commercial radio channels these days.
My rating: 77/100
