ALBUM REVIEW ~ ICON FOR HIRE ~ AMORPHOUS

Amorphous, I'm Music Magazine, Ariel Bloomer , Shawn Jump, Romesh Dodangoda

Get your listening ears ready for the new Icon For Hire album that dropped on February 19, 2021 titled Amorphous. This is their first album since 2016’s You Can’t Kill Us. That album was funded entirely by fans and received wide praise throughout the music community. Their sound perfectly blends crunchy riffs, soaring vocals, electronic aspects, and uplifting lyrics. Icon For Hire is made up of vocalist Ariel Bloomer and guitarist Shawn Jump. For this album they worked with producer Romesh Dodangoda (known for his previous work with Bring Me the Horizon, Kids In Glass Houses, and more). Just like their last album, this one was funded through a Kickstarter campaign entirely by their Patreon fans and has already raised over $200,000- making it one of the highest ranking music campaigns of all time. Icon For Hire should be a testimony that anyone can obtain their goals in life and achieve great success through hard work and persistence.

“Waste My Hate”- This single sends an unbelievable message. It captures Icon For Hire’s “new” sound with heavy riffs and compelling vocals. According to vocalist Ariel Bloomer, this tune is a reminder to “stand your ground, [and] fight for what you believe in.” Shawn laid down a catchy blues lick for the base of the track and it even features a powerful guitar solo! The sing along chorus is very fun and uplifting, and the tune subsides off with arena rock like vocals over top of a striking guitar loop.

“Last One Standing”- I absolutely love this tune! It is very catchy with hard hitting riffs and empowering vocals. The song kicks in with an electronic breakdown but as it reaches the chorus it takes a much heavier turn. Post chorus it encapsulates Ariel’s beautifully isolated vocals and lyrical content about being targeted and being pushed down. But, she rose up and overcame every obstacle, truly being the last one standing. I can completely envision this song being an anthem for always being untouchable in life.

“Sticks and Stones”- This is my personal favorite track off the album. It features Ariel’s perfect effortless vocals mixed with catchy guitar and electronic production. But what really draws attention is the powerful lyrical content, very fitting for Women’s History Month. This song speaks about Ariel’s fight to make it in the music industry. She delivers very clearly that she did not let anything hinder her from achieving her goals and did not let the sticks and stones break her, just like the title states.

Overview- I really enjoyed this album overall. The mix of crossing different genre “borders” such as heavy electronic production and tasty guitar solos really opens this album up to draw new fans in. Even though I only included a few songs in this review, the 14 track album is very diverse stylistically, but is articulate on the message of overcoming obstacles and never letting anything bring you down, something everyone should live by.

I’m Music Magazine Contributing Writer Angelica Bohurjak