Izzy Outerspace - "Amazon"
Just like the NASA rover Perseverance that landed on Mars this week, Izzy Outerspace’s music transcends our planetary confines on her debut release, Amazon. Yeah, I may be trying to get a little punny with the name, but the eight songs on this record are definitely the kind of stuff that makes you feel like you’re floating in zero gravity. That’s a bit surprising, as for the most part, these songs aren’t super dense in a classic shoegaze or dream pop sense. Rather, Izzy Outerspace creates this otherworldly presence through the strength of her voice and her gripping guitar work, which are the two driving forces that help Amazon reach those interstellar heights.
Many of the songs on Amazon draw strength from their unadorned intimacy, as Izzy Outerspace isn’t afraid to wear her emotions on her sleeve and authentically share those quite personal details in her lyrics. The opening track, “Spare Time,” has a folk-y familiarity to it, which she captures through the warm strums of an acoustic guitar, her beaming voice, and some synths that add a bit of aural padding. The title track similarly peaks with crescendoing vocals at two distinct points before the more stripped down “Wildfires,” which is then followed by my personal favorite track, “Empty.” This song features a series of scorching guitar solos towards the tail end of its runtime, making it sort of sound like Dinosaur Jr. if J Mascis’ could kick it up a few vocal octaves. The album seems to be sequenced in waves, as after the energetic release on “Empty,” the mood settles down again for the scaled back “Jump,” before accelerating significantly on both “Vietnam” and “Home,” the former of which sees Izzy Outerspace delivering perhaps her best vocal performance on the entire EP. She opts for just a guitar and her voice for the album closer, “Stars,” showcasing those two previously mentioned driving forces in a dramatic way, and demonstrating the power that Izzy Outerspace can derive from minimalism.
Stream the album below!
You can purchase Amazon via Bandcamp. It’s also available on all streaming platforms. Keep up with Izzy Outerspace by following her on Instagram and liking her on Facebook.
