ALBUM REVIEW: Amelia White Rides the Turbulence Behind Broken Promises on ‘Love I Swore’
Henry Carrigan
Posted On February 22, 2024
Amelia White knows how to capture the jagged ways that individuals fall in and out of love and hope. On Love I Swore she conveys the depth of loss that often flows out of broken promises. Produced by Kim Richey, who joins White on background vocals on many of the songs, Love I Swore moves from rollicking rockers to smooth pop grooves.
Ringing guitars and striding percussion open “Something New Comes,” a haunting minor-chord swampy folk rocker that creates a sonic hall of mirrors where loss and renewal reflect themselves in strange shapes. Hope endures even when certainty disappears, and out of loss often comes “something new” in which one either embarks in a new direction or refines a faltering relationship. The swelling harmonies of “Follow the River” create an ethereal atmosphere that mimics the murkiness of the waters closing over a drowning relationship.
The propulsive rocker “Get to the Show” captures the perceived need to rush out the door to get back on the road even amid regret about the effects of life on the road has on a relationship, while the Beatles-esque “Beautiful Dream” reverberates with sparkling layers of sound. Cascading guitars create a tender and evocative sound on “Don’t You Ever Forget,” a song that would be at home on any album by Lesley Gore, and the dazzling plea “Can You See Me Now” creates much the same vibe.
Amelia White (photo by Jon Karr and Lorena Lopez)
The spaciously unfolding title track evokes mournfulness through the sonic emptiness of the song itself and must be one of the saddest songs ever recorded. You feel the singer’s loneliness in the scratchy sounds of the crackling long distance phone calls she makes and the lines “Fly but don’t go far / I’ll keep the candle burning and I won’t lock the door / Fly but don’t go far / I swore the love I meant and I still mean the love I swore.” The album closes with the faux upbeat “Don’t Know Her,” which veers between regret and hope.
Love I Swore illustrates White’s lyrical ingenuity and her ability to create an emotional soundscape in which every listener can find their own struggles or heartaches or joys.
Amelia White’s Love I Swore is out Feb. 23 on 31 Tigers.
