Naarm/Melbourne-based indie folk/pop singer-songwriter Amelia Allan has just released her debut EP, Won’t Miss You. The EP reveals Amelia to be a sincere and perceptive storyteller. Littered with catchy hooks, she expertly blends indie pop’s infectious energy and alt-folk’s introspective charm.
The songs draw on influences from Julia Jacklin, Stella Donnelly and Courtney Barnett, in which Amelia manages to transform the mundane into the bright and colourful. She poignantly encapsulates the sensation of starring in a music video while wading through life’s everyday activities.
Her vocals carry a certain allure, transporting listeners to a bygone era filled with memories of Australian neighbourhood streets and familiar landscapes. With each note, Amelia’s voice evokes a sense of familiarity and sentimentality, painting a vivid picture of the quintessential Australian suburban experience.
It is no wonder she has a music degree, majoring in songwriting, and has performed as a drummer and backing vocalist in venues across Melbourne, including The Espy, The Workers Club and Brunswick Ballroom.
To celebrate the release of her debut EP, she has put together a track-by-track description of the inspiration and context behind each song. So press play and read on:
Amelia Allan – Won’t Miss You – Track by Track
Won’t Miss You
I was living in Brisbane at the time and I had made the difficult decision to end a friendship. I filed this song away for some time as I remember feeling a bit guilty after I had first written it. The song is about missing all the unspoken things associated with someone you’re no longer in a relationship with, like their pets, family and other miscellaneous items of theirs that you’ve grown attached to.
Foolish friends
This song is a recount of a fleeting relationship I had with a good friend at the time. I learned very quickly that this friend, who I trusted and thought I knew was actually not a nice person. Within 24 hours of the relationship ending, my cat was diagnosed suddenly with cancer. It may sound like a sad story, but I am so grateful for the lessons learnt from the experience, including this song that came from it.
More Things
I wrote “More Things” after returning home from a run around my neighbourhood during the hard rubbish week. It’s also inspired by the many retail jobs I worked at Chadstone Shopping Centre throughout my 20’s. The lyrics are about this never-ending cycle we see of people buying more than they need, with those items inevitably ending up on the street. I’ve furnished my home with a lot of great finds on hard rubbish, so it’s not all bad I guess.
I Tumble Out
This song flowed out one night after a recent breakup. I was playing around with a simple chord pattern, and snippets of memories from the relationship were playing out in my head like scenes in a movie. This song is much more emotion-driven compared to my usual lyric-centric songs, and I get goosebumps every time I play it live.
Living in my Head
This song is a story drawn from a time when I was retreating from the physical world. I was letting the dishes pile up on the kitchen bench for days on end, neglecting my plants and watching a lot of Netflix. The song began with ‘bonsai’ as a word prompt. In the story, the bonsai tree serves as a gentle reminder that even in moments of isolation, there are still signs of life and connection waiting to be rediscovered.
Won’t Miss You is now available on all streaming platforms. The release will be celebrated by a headline show at The Gasometer on 15 July. Tickets can be bought HERE.
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Photo credit: Ellord Tayag
