Amnesia

Despite having only Amnesia and 2012’s self-released Ruin the Moment EP under their collective belts, Amanda X already has a well defined aesthetic. Straightforward, somewhat chaotic fuzz pop with definite “90s feel,” they’re a band that proudly wear influences on their sleeve. While the three-piece has a sound likened to many of the great indie bands of a bygone era—Scrawl, Sleater Kinney, et al.—they sound more like the bands influenced by those bands, namely fellow Philly gals Cayetana. Drummer Tiff Yoon’s nervous, jerky rhythms and bassist Kat Bean’s constant, nimble plodding mesh well, giving Cat Park plenty of room to chug along on her dense, fuzzed-out guitar as Park and Bean trade off vocal duties. Mixing equal parts indie-pop and grunge, album-opener “Guatemala” plays par for the course with its power-chord-laden riffs and unhinged choruses full of warbling vocals and delicate “ohhhs.” And while having a distinct sound this soon out the gate is impressive, it means that Amnesia sometimes fails to mix things up enough to remain fresh. Somewhere around the halfway mark, the same simple rhythms and washed-out guitar tones start to get boring, and you wonder if Amanda X might have been better off cutting it down to a second EP instead.