Barefoot on Diamond Road

Barefoot On Diamond Road is the third album from Dutch singer/songwriter Amber Arcades. A record of engaging maturity, filled with slow motion builds and epic lifts that elevate it to dizzying heights.

Immersed in an all-consuming wall of sound, Barefoot On Diamond Road is like My Bloody Valentine gone acoustic; it shouldn’t work but it does. It’s a juxtaposition of textures, from skittery, uneasy dancefloor beats to symphonic kosmische.

A baroque pop tapestry side-stitched with cellos and harps, with a plaintive steel guitar echoing in the distance. Conceived remotely with original sparring partner Ben Greenberg (Danny Elfman, Depeche Mode, Ryley Walker) in New York and Annelotte in Amsterdam, it’s a coming of age set in a new town with a new positivity underpinning her, as ever, beautifully crafted and highly personal observations on life, love, and how it all should or could work.

Amber Arcades reflects on the album, stating, “This record really reveals parts of me and my relationship with being a musician and making music. It’s like a reckoning, more in the moment, realizing how important it is to do things for the right reasons and how that can change your process into one that embraces what exists, including yourself.”

Amber Arcades’ new album Barefoot On Diamond Road marks a new phase for a highly respected musician.