Tomorrow up-and-coming pop rockers Amaryllis release their debut album – ‘Nova Initium’. From the opening moments, the London based quartet present an array of adrenaline-fuelled numbers with Sante Moonie’s melodies complimenting Alex Whiteford’s crunching riffs. Delivered in a honest and accessible manner, tracks such as ‘Basement’ and ‘All We Have’ are upbeat with a poppy core, whilst ‘Initium’ and ‘Drown’ carry themselves with intensity.
With such a versatile mix on show, we spoke to Amaryllis find out what ‘Nova Initium’ is all about, track-by-track.
Thorn
‘Thorn’ is about self–identity and how it is forever changing through mental well-being. Things such as our intentions, our beliefs and desires affect our personalities. And sometimes these beliefs or desires can be ones we don’t wish to have or portray. Sometimes our minds can be a tricky place to overcome. The word “Thorn” insinuates that there is something mentally we wish to change or eliminate and that can often be difficult, especially when we make deals with ourselves on who we want to be at whatever point in our life we are.
Hold On
This song is about the deceit and corruption of friendships and how when sometimes your views are put down, you have to continue to hold on, push through and fight to achieve what you want but in an equal sense. In the last year our band has gone through a lot behind the scenes and we’ve had people step down and part ways. Between us, views and opinions were all very different from each individual. Some conventional and some not. Not every situation goes down the way you think it will. I think the lyrics clearly reflect that.
Basement
The title ‘Basement’ never really meant anything at first. It was a working title because the song demo originally reminded us of the band Basement and so we called it that. However, after writing the lyrics I feel it has a little more meaning now. The song is about how one feels wanting to express feelings in a relationship but finds it hard to do so. So we keep these feelings inside so no one can see unless we show them. The word basement means the floor of a building, which is partly or entirely below ground level. I guess I was keeping these feelings inside of my basement that was initially my heart and head.
All We Have
‘All We Have’ is our (eating pizza and screaming pop punk vibes song) about valuing one other and taking pride in doing what you love. Our album title being ‘Nova Initium’ is Latin for new beginnings and that’s exactly what this song speaks. There are so many feelings of self-doubt and not being able to get through tough times but when you have everything to lose and everything to prove you keep fighting till the very end whether you’re on your own or with friends and family.
Initium
‘Initium’ explains that some days are going to be harder than others but whatever our fears are that we need to make peace with them and push past what’s not worth worrying about. Overthinking can make a matchbox size of tribulations and fears feel like an ocean of them. There’s always another door to open or another route to go to get to where you want to be.
Drown
‘Drown’ is a song off the album that I’d say was probably the heaviest. It’s basically about the society we live in and how like myself, so many others have experienced discrimination about who we are and how we feel. How so many of us want to hide away from the unfortunate experiences that can occur and drown us all in a suffocating cloud. These can include race, gender, sexual orientation and so many more. We’re extremely lucky to live in a world where things such as racism and homophobia are less aggressive to how they were many years ago but even so are still classed as a high problem in parts of the world. The lyrics explain that although there are still issues with these things, we need to stand and fight against it all. Humans as individuals are just as unique and important as the next person and shouldn’t be confined to society’s boxed expectations or rules.
Rain
‘Rain’ is definitely the most personal song on the album. It explains how a lot of the time the mental state of some of us isn’t always in the right place, and we forget we’re not supposed to be perfect. Life has turns at every corner. Good and bad things can happen at any time, you just have to get through them. The lyrics “Rain over me and show me how to wash this away” clarifies how we need to help ourselves through the worst. Only you really save you. No one else is going to do it for you. The last four lines of the outro pretty much explains how I always want to try and be a better person for myself and for the people around me. I think the “new beginning” process for this band and album has done just that.
‘Nova Initium’ by Amaryllis is released on May 13th on Revoltage Music.