·July 18, 2021·4 min read

Dear Amber – Rear-End Collision | Punchy

Dear Amber is a Danish group that’s inspired by 90s alternative rock. After formation in 2019, the band decided to release the first track of their upcoming album, Rear-end collision in July 2021. The EP Sparks Equal Fall is set to be released later this summer. Dear Amber is set to begin touring after the release of their EP. Rear-end collision is one of those tracks that stays true to the rock image with classically overridden guitars, deep muddy basslines, hard-hitting drums and percussion, and the amazingly fresh vocals that send the message across. With an intro that sounds like something Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins would use, this track sticks to the rhythm as the vocals chime in. The verse and chorus sound straight off a Breaking Benjamin track. Ronni Jørgensen‘s vocals are so strong and powerful that they cut through the symphony-like instrumental. The enchanting drums of Jan Ettrup-Mikkelsen accompanied by the low-end bass of Kenneth Juul Larsen provide an easy-listening groove that just soothes the ears. Dear Amber has the perfect blend of rock and soul that makes me reminisce sitting in my room listening to my early alternative rock albums. They take you to a place that understands you perfectly. Rear-end collision is definitely one of those tracks that I would have listened to, to deal with high-school angst. Keep an eye out for Dear Amber. They are definitely a band you should follow.

Fortunately, we were able to get an interview with Jan (drummer) from the band!

How did you guys come to form the band?
Rasmus and I started Dear Amber as a project at the start of 2019. We both had a break from rock music for a few years, where I primarily worked with electronic music. I wanted to start playing again, and Rasmus was looking for a drummer with a former bassist, who was replaced by Kenneth, our bass player, after a short time. The three of us started writing new songs and had a desire for a wider and fuller sound – not least the possibility of more advanced vocal arrangements, so we began searching for a guitarist/singer. Kenneth called up his old bandmate Ronni to complete the lineup and he joined shortly after.

You’ve taken a lot of inspiration from the alternative rock scene in the 90s; How you’d you say these bands have inspired your musical journey?
Most of the greats from the 90s have been with us since we started listening to and playing music. They inspire us as individual musicians but also as a group when we are writing and composing. The distortion wall of The Smashing Pumpkins, the heart, and urgency of Nirvana, the experimentation of Radiohead, and angst of Placebo, to mention a few. We never aim to reproduce the sound or feeling from any of these artists, but no matter how you turn it around, the inspiration from the 90’s noise rock is definitely present in our music.

Rear-end collision has some powerful lyrics, what does the track mean to you?
Rear-end collision is life hitting you with bad news and bad experiences when you least expect it. You develop a lack of belief in the good things in life and begin to expect the worst from every situation. It is something many people experience in different periods of life. We are obviously not an exception, why this scenario is an obvious source of inspiration for songwriting.

Do you have a date for when you’re releasing the EP?
All four tracks on the ‘Sparks equal fall’ EP will be released as singles throughout the summer – the album in its entirety will be out by mid-August.

Has the pandemic caused any setbacks to your recording schedule? How so?
As terrible as the COVID-19 pandemic has been, it has allowed our band to focus on writing and perfecting the tracks. We kept ourselves in our own ‘social bubble’ and continued to rehearse. In a way, it actually made the band come together as a group and forced us to focus on songwriting since we did not have the opportunity to play live.

With a tour on the way after the EP, some might say you’ve already managed to break into the scene. What advice would you give to other artists/bands in pursuit of this journey?
From our perspective, there is still a long way to go. There is lots of hard work ahead of us to really break into the scene. It is a tough and relentless industry with very few winners, which is why the joy of playing must be the driving force and the focal point. One good piece of advice would be to choose the songs that you feel are the best. Your excitement with your own music will come through. You have no way of knowing what venue bookers, producers, or audiences might like. There is no point in trying to design specific songs that you think will go down well with important people in the industry. Trust your gut – if you like it, there is a good chance someone else will too.