It seems I’ve been hearing more about bands from my hometown of Monterrey, México, after leaving Monterrey. But one of the bands I’ve known for years is Amp. Granted, I know the band members personally, but don’t worry—I’ve never been one for bias.
Having formed in 2003, Amp has released a couple of demos, but they’ve definitely got people talking with their latest EP. I’ve seen this band grow and can tell from their latest songs that they’ve finally found their sound—whether they’ll change more after this or not, who knows.
The group meshes alternative rock with a softer sound, mainly thanks to the lyrics which talk about love and attraction the way any honest 20-year-old boy does: “Hey, que bien te ves hoy/ mejor te verías en mi habitación” (hey, you look good today/ but you’d look better in my bedroom) in my personal favorite, “Responsable.” Ironically enough, Amp mixes lyrics of love with thoughts of the end of the world, images of shaking, tumbling walls coming alive through their music.
Apart from the clever teenage-like lyrics, the band is definitely mature instrumentally, like in “Normal,” where their musical transitions fit the lyrics and attitude of the song perfectly. The EP isn’t perfect, but there’s inmense potential—their stories of whirlwinds and confusion, sexual tension and the predictability of indecision act as a breath of fresh air for rock en español. Give these guys some credit: They’ve been turning regios on since they were 13 years old—they weren’t letting unforgiving puberty get in the way of rock star success.
You can download their five-song EP for free at www.myspace.com/ampkills