With members hailing from Norway and Scotland, amilost are a duo with a truly international flavour. Vocalist Sigrid Zeiner’s vocal style taps into a very melodic vein of Scandinavian singer songwriter fare, somewhere on the fringes of adult pop – something which dominated their breakthrough single ‘Pillowside’ in 2022. Multi instrumentalist Ross Craib isn’t shy of allowing his geographical roots to show, sometimes strongly, adding a traditional folk/Celtic melody to a sound that’s been dubbed having a “sense of cinematic grandeur”. On amilost’s ‘Good Morning’ single from 2023, Sigrid’s strong vocal was augmented by a choir of smooth voices that offered more than a strong callback to classic Clannad. This gave amilost a very easy vibe, but this certainly helped to bring out the very best in their very adult oriented sound.

By comparison, some of the material that forms their ‘Chapters of A Heartbreak’ EP takes a much busier turn, but wherever the music ventures, fans can be certain that Zeiner’s strong vocal presence continues to provide a solid melodic core, often helping the songs to soar above their pop-ish origins.

An instant standout, ‘Bloom’, takes amilost’s cinematic sound somewhere slightly different again with the help of a filtered vocal, a soul-ish undertone, and a big, layered chorus – but the way these pop-fuelled moments are underscored by an off-kilter UK garage rhythm makes the track also feel a little like an unexpected throwback to the late 90s. The harder rhythms makes this number a fair bit busier than some of the duo’s past experiments, but it’s still a well put together track and the busier moments never stop Sigrid’s vocal performance being the big draw here. It’s clattering drum loop won’t appeal to everyone, but the synthy bass sound and layers of keys put in enough hard yards to make this feel a little more grand than your average dance-pop number, which certainly falls in line with amilost’s penchant for a thoughtful melody. For those not into the “dancier” moments here, ‘Tiny War’ redresses the balance by sharing an obvious fragility. A sparsely arranged piano underlines a thin sounding vocal with a perfect empathy, and a few very light musical embellishments hint that this excellent number will veer off in the direction of dream pop. There’s nothing quite so predictable at stake however; the melody grows and creates an early climax where the lead vocal swells against an alt-pop backdrop before slunking back into a world of sadness, showing the protagonist’s uneven state. When the bigger sounds re-emerge, amilost drops the listener into a world of sound that straddles indie, pop, electronica and more to create something that almost feels overwhelming. Sigrid lets out a few huge cries against the noise and the beats, before allowing everything to retreat to a somewhat sad place. Being a track more concerned with peaks, troughs and atmospheres rather than immediate hooks, ‘Tiny War’ needs time to work its magic, but once it does, it becomes a electro-pop/alternative treat that really shines.

Despite being short, ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’ packs a lot into under three minutes. The track’s main focus feels, at first, as if it’ll be Sigrid’s vocal, offering a high toned, heavily filtered airy pop performance that really suits the current amilost sound. However, after the opening verse, the track twists itself into something that’s very different to the expected, with dance beats, funk grooves, strange guitar sounds and a relentless rhythm adding a huge contrast. Unbelievably, the light vocals still manage to soar as if they’re the driving force for something much softer, and that, in essence is the real interest with amilost at the time of this release. Their ability to make the mechanical, very studio-based sound feel very natural here is impressive, and this – approached in the right mood – could be one of the duo’s finest recordings. Working a similar trick, but sounding suitably different, ‘Haunted’ contrasts a minimalist verse showcasing an angelic vocal with a huge, beat-laden chorus, creating something very dramatic in the process. From the outset, the duo’s brand of pop-ish electronica brims with a strange beauty, but this track really comes into its own once the bigger beats make an appearance. The steady rhythm joins a crying voice to create something epic, yet at the same time, the arrangement conveys a love for downbeat 90s trip-hop vibes, giving the number a marvellous balance between moodiness and confidence. With the help of a simple chorus hook, ‘Haunted’ feels so perfectly formed, proving that the kitchen sink approach to production often favoured on this EP actually works.

Finally, and in a dramatic change of mood, ‘Afterthought’ begins with acoustic guitar and voice, tapping into some classic pop balladry. Bringing in a stately sounding piano, some back-masked noise and a bigger sound, the centre of the arrangement reaches for grandness, but never feels self-important or bloated in any way, and a guest vocal courtesy of Nick Wilson seals the deal in terms of aiming this squarely at a more easy listening adult pop market. It’s the kind of track that someone like Sam Smith could turn into a massive hit, but amilost will surely be happy with this achieving its own success through the word of mouth from their growing fan base. This EP features a couple of arguably better – and more immediate tracks – but in terms of giving this release a thoughtful coda, this works brilliantly.

From balladry, to busy and almost danceable grooves, ‘Chapters of A Heartbreak’ packs a lot into just fifteen minutes. With a broad exploration of contemporary pop – circa 2025 – and a smart approach to arrangement, this is the kind of EP that’ll really put amilost on the map. It’s a melting pot of all of their styles and influences to date, but also gives the feeling that the duo are ever pushing forward. If you have any interest in melodic electronica or great pop, then this is definitely worth hearing.

May 2025