Fazerdaze
Morningside

THE REVIEW

Amelia Murray, born in 1993, is a New Zealander from Wellington, where she developed an interest in music and played in an all-girls band.
In 2012, Amelia moved to Auckland and enrolled in the Faculty of Music at the city university; meanwhile, she began composing her own songs, which she recorded in her bedroom on her Mac and occasionally posted on web platforms like Youtube or Soundcloud.

In 2014, Amelia released 6 of those tracks in an EP under the name Fazerdaze, while making a name for herself locally by performing solo (with loop station and drum machine) or with a small backing band in bars, clubs, and festivals. Thanks to the classic word-of-mouth on social media and the interest sparked by this first work, Fazerdaze's fame began to grow, surpassing national boundaries and expanding first into Oceania and Southeast Asia (aided by Amelia's eastern beauty due to her Indonesian roots), and then worldwide, thanks to these web platforms and the distribution of the EP on BandCamp, increasing supporters' hype for new works by the girl.

Titled after the Auckland suburb where Amelia lives, "Morningside" was finally released in May 2017, rewarding the thousands of fans who had been waiting: it contains some pieces already released in the EP, as well as new tracks that immediately leave their mark. As of today (end of July 2018), the views on Youtube for the music video of the album's lead single, "Lucky Girl", are almost at 7 million.

The album has a well-defined sound but is not monotonous: the home recording does not detract from the quality of the songs, in fact, it is very "hi" for being lo-fi.
Among all the tracks, the aforementioned "Lucky Girl" stands out, a super-catchy rhythmic pop, the melancholic "Shoulders" and the delicate "Bedroom Talks", with its crickets evoking the peaceful summer evenings in the countryside.

An album that speaks about the anxiety issues of a generation, relationships, and sensitivity, without ever descending into disillusionment or sadness.
An album to be enjoyed, among the best of 2017.