Building on the success of their lauded debut single ‘Numb Again’, Amy Katt returns with a follow up in the form of ‘The Things You Did’. The track is urgent and fresh as its rips across its two-and-a-half-minute run time. Built around Amy’s signature vocals, walls of abrasive synths and molasses thick guitars help tear up the rule book as Amy and long time collaborator Sam Hargraves splice genre and sounds to create a unique and contemporary track. Amy doesn’t shy away from confrontation in her lyrics, taking aim at those who might exploit or undervalue a partner in a relationship. The entire track feels like a lightning rod for catharsis, as demons are exorcised and finally laid to rest while Amy hold those accountable.
Amy Katt – The Things You Did Spotify link
Amy Katt is centred around the special alchemy between long time collaborators Amy Katt and Sam Hargraves, with Sam writing the music and laying down guitar, bass and drum tracks while Amy takes care of lyrics and melodies. Now on their second single the duo feel at ease as they approach writing. Tackling the track with the clear vision of producing something massive, the decision-making process becomes streamlined and more direct as Amy and Sam don’t have the committee of a full band to sift through. Pulling from a smorgasbord of influences; heavy metal, emo, rock and dance provides a huge palette of sounds, unrestricted by genre or convention. This is at the heart of their sound.
‘The Things You Did’ wastes absolutely no time in going for the jugular, with a total run time of two and a half minutes, it has a point to make and it doesn’t mince its words. Amy’s vocals punctuate and soar in equal measure while she vents her considerable spleen against the ghost of toxic partner. The emotion expressed throughout is matched only by the power of her vocals, as she intones “I can see it in your eyes” it’s an incredible vocal performance. Sam’s impossibly crunchy guitars cut through the track, reminiscent of Wes Borland’s genre defining tone combined with Liam Howlett’s (Prodigy) approach of percussive yet melodic playing. Similarly, Sam’s drums propel the track forward with a kick drum that sounds like your head is in the drums and a snare that sounds like a bomb going off. The subtle and not so subtle synths and keys that are layered into the track provide some melodic ear candy, some single key passages add tension to the track.
Amy and Sam returned to work with Tayte Nikols for production and engineering. Tayte is another trusted voice in the production process and has become intrinsically part of the Amy Sound. Tayte’s production lends itself perfectly to capturing the aggression, energy and intent behind the song. A sharp modern approach to production and mixing almost becomes another instrument on the track, spitting as much venom as Amy.
‘The Things You Did’ takes the world created on ‘Numb Again’ and expands upon it exponentially, everything feels like a progression. Something the band were keen to do, conscious of not repeating themselves but wanting to maintain the energy and personality which is central to the band. They pushed themselves further into new sonic territory adding drum machines, samples, pads and delving deeper into the world of synths.
As Amy and Sam begin the arduous process of looking for musicians to help bring their sound to the stage they are careful to protect the chemistry that is so central to their sound. ‘The Things You Did’ is a flag in the moon moment for Amy Katt, confidently proclaiming that they have arrived.
“This is not the sound of a debut single, this is the sound of a fully fledged artist”
– Rock N Load –