Amamelia is the ‘weirdo electronic breaks and house’ musical project of Amelia Berry. Currently living in Naarm (Melbourne), Amamelia won the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards’ Best Electronic Artist Tui with her 2022 ‘Bananamelia!’ album, and is a confirmed student radio favourite. Her mostly instrumental new album, ‘The Joy Of Living’, is rooted in electronica, with dreamy synths and an array of layered sounds, echoes and delays.
Released on Auckland indie label Sunreturn, the album presents 10 unique tracks which together create a whimsical retro futuristic world, taking listeners on a journey from beautiful dense forests to extraterrestrial lands.
‘The Joy Of Living’ features contributions from fellow Kiwi artists Madison van Staden (Van Staden & Böhm), Carla Camilleri (CC(TV)), Moe McGlashan (Bandicoot), Hannah Renwick and Baby Zionov.
The collaborators feature as a supergroup on Theme from Living, serving as an opening credits guide to ‘The Joy Of Living’. Present in the joyfully upbeat track is the album’s inspiration of Mort Garson’s Plantasia and Yellow Magic Orchestra, which explores whistling, chimes, fuzzed guitar, and a collection of field recordings.
Capturing the deluge of hi-hats, tin whistles and big synth melodies, comes early instrumental single The Floating Opera, which is accompanied by a crafty animated video by Simon Ward. Together the track and music video expand the album’s immersive atmosphere.
As the album traverses various spaces through the tracks, the emotion changes with A Private Cosmos, which begins with radio static, before transcending into another meditative world with sounds of nature. The track embraces chirps, statics, and playful naïve synth sounds, which are meticulously woven between the spoken word. A Private Cosmos further expands the album’s invitation to ‘take a breath and appreciate the never-ending cycle of life and death’.
This colourful adventure closes with a peaceful combination of a tranquil background and electronic sounds. Twinned Parks serves as a resolution and celebration of the journey within the album, signalling the climax with sounds of exploding fireworks. It almost feels like the credits of a beloved children’s ’70s TV show, in this case Amamelia’s fun and unique album.
Among the peaceful yet psychedelic soundscapes ‘The Joy Of Living’ emphasises the beauty of life. “I think it’s just always worth reflecting on that being alive is this incredible, fleeting gift and while you’re alive you’ve gotta make the most of it,” notes Amamelia. Her expressive alternative electronic release may appear messy at a glance, but the many elements construct an exciting, lucid and picturesque world.
