European Heartbreak
The first Amber Arcades record, Fading Lines, was an unassumingly good modern dream pop record that balanced De Graaf's plain-spoken vocals and melancholy nature against a gentle backdrop of drowsy guitars and dreamy melodies.
There’s not a single track on European Heartbreak that isn’t a beautifully composed, shining picture postcard of emotion.
Amber Arcades seemed to be on a trajectory to indie rock fame, building a reputation with a satisfying mix of dream pop and motor driven guitar pop over a couple of EPs and 2016's LP Fading Lines. Less of a band and more of a solo project of Dutch singer
Annelotte De Graaf came to our attention back in 2016, before that thing, for her ‘woozy pop’. Since then, an EP, ‘Cannonball’,
Amber Arcades throw American into an indie-pop blender while forcing listeners to dig beyond its mask in our review of 'European Heartbreak'
Amber Arcades’ second album takes a sophisticated look at endings, from Brexit to relationships, but it has a lovely human optimism