Beneath the blanket of the ever-expansive universe, where stars twinkle like forgotten stories, I chanced upon a sound that unearthed a long-buried secret. It was the voice of AMAARA in her ethereal offering, “Bright Lights”. The song, much like a forbidden manuscript, whispered of tales lost to time, journeys taken along the shores where the land meets the sea, and secrets whispered by the winds.
Kaelen Amara Ohm, the creative force behind AMAARA, possesses a mystical duality – the kind one stumbles upon in the chronicles of ancient civilizations. Having once lent her profound musicality to Reuben and the Dark, her venture into the dreamlike depths of AMAARA is akin to a magician revealing a world shrouded in wonder and enigma.
“Bright Lights” unveils the narrative of a soul’s pilgrimage from Los Angeles to Berkeley, dancing along the mesmerizing Big Sur coastline. Each note is tinged with the pain of yesterday and the hope of a clearer horizon. The reversed guitar riffs act as portals into parallel dimensions, and the washed-out synth pads capture the sensation of infinity that one feels while journeying along the coast. It’s as if time itself hesitates, waiting for the wanderer to find her solace.
There’s an undeniable reminiscence of the old-world dream-pop and the ghostly echoes of Radiohead in AMAARA’s work. Yet, in the midst of these familiar soundscapes, her individuality bursts forth like a phoenix, each feather imbued with rich details that beckon the listener closer.
The evolution of AMAARA, from the days of ‘Black Moon’ to ‘Heartspeak’, has been like watching a master painter add layers to her canvas, each brushstroke bearing witness to her evolution as an artist. With “Child of Venus”, set to bewitch listeners this July, I found myself entrapped within her labyrinthine world, eager to uncover all its hidden corners.
In the end, “Bright Lights” is not merely a song. It is a secret passage to a forgotten memory, a road taken by a soul seeking clarity, and a testament to the boundless power of music. As the melodies of AMAARA lingered in the shadows, I was reminded of the words of a village seer, “Every secret has a melody; you just need to listen closely.”
As AMAARA’s “Bright Lights” unfurled its tapestry of sounds and stories, I felt myself entwined in its narrative threads, journeying alongside her through terrains both external and internal. And as the final notes ebbed away, like the retreat of waves upon Big Sur’s coast, I was left with an unshakeable sensation: that somewhere between the refrains and melodies, a secret was waiting to be discovered, as elusive as the moon’s hidden face, yet as palpable as the ocean’s eternal embrace.
