Amy Jay
Album review by Brittany Ormiston for Unclear Magazine
Indie-folk artist Amy Jay delicately crafted her first full-length album, Awake Sleeper, released on February 11th. The body of work was influenced by her day-to-day life in New York City, and serves as a time capsule with memories captured prior to the pandemic. Despite being written and recorded a few years prior, Awake Sleeper is undoubtedly one of the most pertinent albums to date as Amy unfolds layers of vulnerability, nostalgia, and desolation throughout her art.
The album begins with the sound of a subway car barreling down the tracks accompanied by a soft piano riff, which quickly whisks you into Amy’s headspace. In “Lucid Dreaming,” Amy recalls memories of her childhood after smelling sunscreen on the train. Her hypnotic vocals and mystical instrumentals create a listening experience filled with floating on clouds, and spinning around in the sunlight. The opening instrumentals of “Reliance” continue this aura, which catches and maintains listeners attention from the get-go. Amy illustrates having that special person by your side who always makes you feel better, while at the same time thinking, “Do I rely too much on you?” in the back of your mind. The album begins to go a different direction, and falls into a pit of despair and melancholy.
“Commute” was written from Amy’s perspective while traveling to work on the subway, and noticing the strangers around her immersed in their phones. She immediately realized she was alone with her thoughts, and knowing even if she screamed no one would hear her. During the bridge, the intense instrumentals and lyric “Can I get a word in?” reiterates how silence is deafening. As the vocals and instrumentals fade, it feels as if the subway car is disappearing into the distance. Listeners are drifting slowly into their own mind, similar to Amy while on the subway. “Call My Name” is a mind-boggling track that appears on the surface level as a fight with someone else. The lyric “Why do you call my name? / Are you satisfied with the choice that you’ve made?” expresses anger and pain towards said person. From another perspective, this song could be seen as a fight within yourself and the struggles dealt with on a daily basis.
Amy dives a bit deeper with the tracks “Inner Critic” and “Monster,” and creates a hauntingly beautiful representation of internal battles within the mind. “As the arrows slip from my bowing hand” is used as imagery to describe being her own worst critic, and how it is an extension of herself. Amy leads on to describe the monster that has made a home inside her head with the sound of a ticking clock in the background. The instrumentals create an eerie vibe of uncertainty, fear, and sadness. This track hits deep for listeners who fight battles with their monsters of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.
“Bide My Time” appears almost as a pivotal moment for the album. It describes the point in time where you are at a crossroads, and are just waiting around for an ideal moment or situation to reveal itself. The mesmerizing instrumentals followed by “At least I could say, I guess I tried” offers a slight glimmer of hope. The next few songs are quick to snap listeners back to reality by reiterating there will be difficult moments throughout the journey of life. Amy’s vocals in “Sorrow” are echoed by a whistle similar to the mournful song of a bird. “Remember” then follows with the reminder of “...no one told us it was easy,” yet transitions to an outro that is majestically uplifting. This sets the stage for the last and final track of the album, “Self-Deprecation,” which is stripped down to an acoustic guitar and Amy’s vocals. The breathtaking yet gloomy intro, and the lyric “It will rain, but I’ll still take my chances,” is a gentle reminder to keep going despite obstacles and bumps in the road. As the song continues, there is a gradual transition from a rainy, somber outlook to a sunny, optimistic outlook on life itself.
Awake Sleeper is unapologetically honest, elegant, and resonates deeply within the mind, heart, and soul. From “Lucid Dreaming” to “Self-Deprecation,” Amy takes listeners on a fast-paced subway ride that is so captivating no one wants to get off.
