Amelia & The Housewives Debut LP "Amelia & The Housewives" - A Sparkling Melodic Masterpiece

The Brighton based Amelia & The Housewives have just released their debut self-titled album on INH Records and it’s a sublime example of melodic Guitar Pop that is bursting with character and most importantly, bloody great songs. The band have perfected the art of marrying sparkling, unashamedly upbeat music with bittersweet, melancholic lyrics that are laced with tales of unrequited love, betrayal and the dashing of romantic dreams. At first that might sound a bit depressing, but certainly not in the hands of Amelia and her brilliant band, they tackle the age-old dilemma of broken hearts with a wry wit that is very endearing. I mean, think about the dark subject matter of some of the greatest lovelorn music through the ages - The Shangri-La’s and their fatal motorbike crashes, the everyday heartaches of The Flirtations, Gloria Jones running into and then quickly running away from a dodgy relationship. Then there’s Blondie’s “In The Flesh” with its naïve uncertain jealousy, the Ramones “Questioningly” and its depressed protagonist at home with his whisky bottle, movie on TV and memories making him cry. Of course, there’s the ultimate doomed love song - The Smiths “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” with its prospect of lovers getting hit by a double decker bus. Luckily, Amelia & The Housewives, don’t quite suffer such serious drama, what they offer are much more relatable tales of failed relationships and romances. They’ve managed to pack so much into the album, which boasts a classic line-up of ten concise and perfectly formed songs in just under 30 minutes. Everyone plays their part, from the superb bass and drums throughout to the sublime guitar work that fans of the intricate chiming Rickenbacker sound of Johnny Marr and Peter Buck will love. I thought I’d try and get through this review without dredging up the old “Byrdsian” and ‘jangly’ guitar clichés that real music journalists always mention but… oh, too late! Of course, Amelia’s fantastic voice is the main focal point, she sings in such a charming and natural way that you feel like you already know her. Then there are the lovely melodic backing vocals that make the songs soar to another level. 

 

Opening track “Punchline” slams in with some powerful guitar that reminds me of the underrated Echobelly but then they confound the senses with “Spell”, which should be a surefire soulful mirror-ball Disco dancefloor smash! “Smile About It” which is one of my personal highlights with its dreamy chorus and an ending that suddenly crunches up another level into a powerful gear change. “You’ll Never Know” features wonderful guitar work, the scratchy Orange Juice style rhythm is overlaid by some catchy riffs, a lovely bouncy bassline and it all ends with a cheeky nod to Blondie’s “Sunday Girl”. “Top Of The Pops” is a brilliant Indie-Pop anthem of heartbreak and again, the lyrics are superb – it could be about a celebrity couple with its “You’re on Match of The Day; I’m on Top of The Pops” refrain. “I Don’t Know” which has some neat chugging power chords giving it a kind of New Wave Go-Go’s feel, is another killer track. The single “Narcissist” is an evocative vignette that captures the humiliation of being let down perfectly - ‘I should be jumping on your bones, but you left me in the rain outside of Waterstones’. Once again, those wonderful melodic guitar lines and backing vocals sparkle away, it's a track that the much-missed Kirsty MacColl would have been proud of. “Summer’s Over” skips along with an undercurrent of Hammond organ and some wonderful guitar lines. “Time Will Tell” is the perfect closing track on what is a thoroughly satisfying album that tugs at your heartstrings with its melancholic subject matter. It features some superb trumpet playing over a Jazzy ‘60’s Lounge style that conjures up Burt Bacharach and Dusty Springfield in the way that Railcard did so perfectly on their recent debut album “Two Steps At A Time”. My only criticism of the LP as a package itself would be that there’s no credits, no mention of the band members themselves or who contributes the brass and keyboards, as I’d certainly like to mention and praise all involved. But whoever it is behind Amelia & The Housewives, they have produced a timeless sounding album that defies genres and will leave you with a huge smile on your face. And in these pretty bleak times that’s a very rare and valuable thing. 

You can order the album from the INH Records Bandcamp site here.