Review: Amy Montgomery – “Intangible EP” (2020)

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There has been so much focus on bands coming out of Dublin these days and rightly so that you could be forgiven for not realising that there`s so much more aspiring talent in what people now refer to as The Island Of Ireland. Amy Montgomery hails from Lisburn but now resides in Belfast with her partner and drummer, Michael Mormecha and is gaining recognition from playing numerous UK and European festivals. Her five-track debut” Intangible” EP which includes two live tracks, a cover and a remixed number was released last month.

This extended play opens with title track ‘Intangible’ with a steady drum beat and twinkling synth like keys as Amy`s voice joins in. We then enjoy some fuzzy guitar work as the wonderfully raw but powerful vocals surf atop and around. An uplifting number despite the subject matter of mental health. Amy`s mom took her life when Amy was sixteen and she references butterflies in the song which she relates “She was mesmerised by their growth and beauty, and while she couldn’t do that herself, I find it amazing that she could still admire that trait in others”

There`s a live cover of Sharon Van Etten`s `Jupiter 4`, it`s a fairly faithful cover but is a much more robust and fleshed out version with dreamy synth splashes, simple piano keys and a quite hypnotic drum beat that allows the compelling vocal delivery to shine.

Amy has alluded to Australian singer songwriter Sia Kate Isobelle Furler`s delivery on early cut ‘Breathe Me’ as one of the greatest influences for her song ‘Anywhere’, which was co-written with Michael Mormecha. A quite emotional almost anthemic mid-tempo paced composition. Another song co-written with Michael Mormecha comes with ‘Old Photographs’ recorded live in Belfast. A reflective piece stripped back with just a piano and vocals relating a theme of “Nostalgia, the perfect mix of good and bad / The pain and the beauty of looking back at what you had” the artist explains. A melancholy ballad of sorts.

This release closes with a 2019 remix of `Dangerous` a song that has been quite cathartic for the singer as she shares “I realised how powerful it is, to be able to transform sadness or anger into something healing.” The song has some delightful strings and a strummed acoustic guitar with the vocals ascending and descending, rising, and falling throughout.

There was so much to enjoy on the “Intangible EP” which gave a real flavour as to what this Bohemian artist has to offer. Amy Montgomery has a deeply powerful, varied and quite mesmerising vocal range and as the definition relates Intangible as unquantifiable, that seems a fairly good depiction of what she offers. A fresh musical outlook that is difficult to pigeonhole.

Rating 8.5 /10

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