Photo Credit: Danny Kötter

German indie punks Amber have released their long-awaited debut album “Room For Understand”, which can be streamed in full, below.

The long-player will also be released on limited vinyl by DIY label Room 11 Records and can be ordered here.

Amber’s equally intense and melancholic sound, which is somewhere between emo and post-punk, is convincing in various contexts: Their charged songs are ideal for isolated daydreaming, but also for getting sweaty in front of the stage. The Bielefeld band’s music caresses and crushes at the same time – with shimmering shoegaze guitars, detached bass lines à la The Cure and driving drums that complement the washed-out soundscapes with a rock-hard tightness.

In their emotional impact and visual aesthetics, it is still clear that the members originally come from the hardcore world, but the vocals of frontman Levin Mertelsmann are now more clearly defined and melodic. In keeping with this, the guitar, bass and drums are also constantly looking towards wave and indie. The whole thing has a punky DIY spirit – they do as much as possible themselves, from merch to booking – and the group definitely sounds energetic, but also delivers an almost floating feeling. It is this dynamic range that makes Amber’s sound so unique.

The group also touches several nerves in terms of content: time and again, it is about the difficulties of coming to terms with one’s own world-weariness and the resulting feeling of powerlessness. But personal hurdles are also addressed, with many lyrics dealing with interpersonal worries and reflecting on oneself. “It’s about being lost in a world that has set the course against you and about the search for resolution,” Amber  say about their debut album “Room for Understanding”. At one point it says: “Where do we go from here?” Hopefully to a place where we are finally understand.

Amber is
Yanic Rusch – Guitars
Levin Mertelsmann – Vocals
Tillman Coronett – Drums
Tim Saure – Bass