CALLMEAMOUR — ‘AMOUR’

Writer’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

2025 could very well be the year of Call Me Amour. I hope we see an announcement of a headline tour soon because after listening to Amour multiple times now, I can safely say it must be experienced live.

Fortunately, Call Me Amour has been relatively prevalent on supporting tours since their debut, playing alongside the likes of Against The Current, The Hara and Pop Evil. If you’ve already had the pleasure of catching the band, you know exactly what I’m talking about. My first impression of them was supporting Against The Current at the O2 Ritz in Manchester and their energy onstage is an exact mirror of the quality of their music.

My initial impression of the intro track, ‘Happy Hell’ is that they didn’t have to start that strong. With only five tracks in an EP, surely they couldn’t be starting with their best! In truth, ‘Happy Hell’s’ intro is an immediate suspense builder with some awesome string bends that are an indicator of the rest of the record. Whilst there is some hardcore influence in the verses in terms of punchy vocal delivery, it's clear that dark electronica is the founding pillar of their genre. The chorus is anthemic and catchy off the bat. With controlled melodic singing, contrasted by screams, the choice of where and when they are used is tasteful. The line “Happy Hell” is repeated throughout, ensnaring the listener in the catchy hook. Then there’s the middle 8 which nearly had me standing up in the cafe and two-stepping like a reflex. As an intro track, it's a refreshing take on modern electronic metal and is distinct.

‘Bloom’ is more indicative of the band’s genre with electronic beats, synth, sound effects and trap snare triplets before fusing with metalcore back in the chorus. To contrast the previous track’s chorus, you’re only given one like to focus on and it's effective: “Will you watch me bloom?” On the other hand, the verse is the part you’re meant to pay attention to lyrically, especially with the focus on singing and clean vocals. However, Scott Kennedy of Bleed from Within’s feature in the breakdown changes this up and, once again, juxtaposes the rest of the song.

The third track in the list, ‘Good Day’ once again displayed the diversity of the EP. Giving punk rock elements with high guitar riffs, one could draw similarities to Against The Current & Mallory Knox which makes sense considering Mikey Chapman features in the song. It is still distinctly Call Me Amour’s song and to no surprise, has the same energy and high production as previous tracks.

The chorus, as has become a consistent theme, has my ears in heaven but I particularly enjoyed beautifully mixed harmonies on the line, “Don’t let these people in”. Ironically, Chapman then comments on harmony after the chorus. Both vocalists blend like honey and tea, it delivers a familiarity in performance that only comes from knowing each other’s strengths and personality in the deliverance of lines.

‘Where’s the chemistry’ is the softest most ambient starting song which gives your ears a breather before an anthemic chorus with dynamic drums adding that extra cinematic impact. It's so hard to decide on a favourite song when they all have distinct personalities and flow together so well, one after another. The electronic bridge with sci-fi-inspired synths is driven hard by drums doing incredible fills. I could see this being a character’s theme in a tv show like Arcane.

If anything, this connotes just how masterful each musician is on their instruments, having clearly brought out the best in each other in a powerful combination of bandmates.

The final track, ‘Dreams’ feels like a continuation of ‘Where’s the Chemistry’ and could be the main theme of a show like Arcane. The piano is so melancholic that when the full band goes in on the chorus, the emotional passion is amplified tenfold. It is reminiscent of Linkin’ Park’s new material and that is the highest praise. I think ‘Dreams’ and ‘Happy Hells’ are my favourite tracks. ‘Dreams’ is my superhero training soundtrack whereas ‘Happy Hells’ is my ‘go crazy in the moshpit’ track. Overall, each track is powerful but they put Dreams as the last track for a reason.

If it wasn’t clear, I could only describe Amour as incredible and very replayable.