Jesse Pomeroy divides his time between the worlds of music and film, as a tech for Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole and Martin Page to garnering an Emmy nomination for sound-editing the Netflix series “When They See Us” and directing the indie horror flick “Hell Mountain.” Now due to the pandemic, he had plenty of time to write and record original music in the vein of “love ‘em/hate ‘em tunes.” Amara is an 11-track album that sees Pomeroy bearing down on an indie rock, power pop and punk pop sound, flexing through the genres with deftness and pomp.
Amara gets moving with sparse guitar riffs that swirl in the backdrop as some melodic vocals reels this song in. Next, the music grows in attitude as a drumming beat brings in a grittier vibe. The vocals become bigger and badder as Pomeroy shouts out the lyrics with gusto.“What A Girl Can Do” starts off to an upbeat start. Simply rendered with a guitar riff, drumming beat and vocals, Pomeroy keeps to a stripped sound. Next, the vibes become more adamant and hard-hitting as the music becomes more revved in spirit. The bouncy beats and groove feel amped and invigorating. More of Pomeroy’s charged energy plays itself out on the title track “Amara.” The vibrant beats set the tone. The number proves catchy and upbeat in groove. Starting out with the stripped sounds of only vocals, Pomeroy’s distorted voice are placed on the forefront of “Eve.” Once the instrumentals come in, a more surf rock comes across from the psychedelic guitars. Pomeroy dives right in with a full sound with vocals and music. A bit of funk and island flavors could also be detected. Pomeroy struts more of his vocal abilities with the acoustic song “Supergirl.” The track, though minimally arranged, felt very emotional. I greatly enjoyed his spirited vocals here. On “Lizard Queen,” blaring guitars and a drumming beat makes its way on this song. The vocals are filled with flourish and verve on this classic rock n’ roll number. On “Gone Moved On,” a revving drumming beat takes the song to the forefront. With great flair, the instrumentals are executed. The vocals come across equally impassioned. This felt like a great pop punk track to get moving to. The synths go on to feed into the energized pulse. The sounds of waves crashing to the shoreline opens up “Tomorrow (Amara).” A melodious piano tune courses through this track. Simply accompanied by piano, Pomeroy’s smooth vocals make their way into the song. Listeners will be drawn to his riveting delivery. As a one-man-band, the album features Pomeroy handling most of the project himself from writing, performing and producing everything on his own. Keeping things DIY and independent allowed Pomeroy total control over the making of this record. I thought a lot of the decisions behind the making of this album really went on to capture the spirit of punk and rock during the ‘90s that were popularized by such bands like Green Day and Weezer. I give him props for keeping the flame alive and all the while paving the way for more contemporary acts that follow in a similar vein. While he does little to redefine what has been done over and over again, staunch enthusiasts of tradition will find something familiar yet accessible in Pomeroy’s latest album. Amara sees an artist doing what he knows and loves best and backing it with an energy that borders on infectious. I look forward to seeing what’s up next for the artist.
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