Amanda Merdzan

Amanda Merdzan is going to be a future star of the Australian music scene. Mark my words this songstress has an amazing talent that will resonate deeply with anyone who is a fan of fantastic songwriting and emotional depth in their music. The proof of this lays in Amanda’s debut EP release titled “The Map Has Been Redrawn” which showcases five little heartbreakers designed to sink deep into your heart and leave its mark.

From start to finish “The Map Has Been Redrawn” is soaked in personal stories of love and the joy of both falling for it and escaping from it. There is a modern flare to the way these songs are executed but that modern frame exists only to communicate the old soul living inside of Amanda. There is a deep understanding of isolation in these songs with every moment crafted carefully to help give purpose to the muse that Amanda is serving. It’s very powerful stuff and begs for repeat plays over and over again.

Sometimes you love to have your world challenged by music and other times you just want the music to help give purpose to your own pain. Amanda’s music falls in to the latter category for sure and while it may not be dynamically weird or envelope pushing music stylistically, the music itself is carried and ignited by Amanda’s deep emotional world and that is what is put on full display with “The Map Has Been Redrawn.” This EP is a perfect glimpse of an artist who has just uttered her first musical communication and I feel after both personal and musical growth we’ll see Amanda combine her world class songwriting with some intense experimentation to birth a sound that is unique to her muse.

I can’t wait to see what comes next from Amanda Merdzan and I’ve got a feeling that she’ll do some very interesting things making beautiful future music that goes deeper and weirder.

8 cassette tapes out of 10 - Heavy And Weird (Australia)

When astronaut John Glenn orbited above Perth, Australia in 1962, people in the Western Australia capital city turned on all their lights so the city would become a sparkling lightbulb to the orbital viewer; Perth is aptly known as the “City of Light” because of this magnificent communal stunt.

Indie/Folk musician Amanda Merdzan is also from Perth, Australia. What do these two things have in common (despite the similarity of origin)? Merdzan, similar to her hometown, is a “city of light” for Indie/Folk music. Her music dazzles with a powerful edge that shines through her savvy vocals. While a troubadour with a sincere rawness to her tunes, Merdzan juxtaposes this denuded flavor with a striking maturity in her words and musicality. Put simply, Merdzan is a fluorescent light in an often lucifugous climate.

After the release of her debut album in 2010, Merdzan spent three months in the U.S. before going home in 2011 and gigging around Perth. She is now on the heels of her latest release, an EP called The Map Has Been Redrawn.

“Afraid” is the title track off of the 5-song EP. The song bounces with a Mumford and Sons rhythm at its entrance, combining Merdzan’s potent vocal with an excellent instrumental of echoed strings, plucked acoustic guitar, and heavy percussion. The inception of the piece latches on to the listener like a good book to an eager reader; once it pulls you in you cannot stop exploring the created world. And it is quite a world – one full of imagery-inducing harmonies and musical precision. Seriously, the song does not have a flaw.

This live acoustic version of “Each Day Like the First” (the 4th song on the EP) exposes the tenderness of Merdzan’s voice. The song flows with the subtle authority of Fleet Foxes or Tallest Man on Earth. While pastoral, the persistent rhythm maintains an urban quality – a contradiction that works well to create the wonderful aura that encompasses all of Merdzan’s songs. - The Music Court (New York)

We love a good singer/songwriter here at The Indie Machine, and this is doubly true if they are able to break out of that box and bring us more than the usual fare. Hailing all the way from Perth, Australia, AMANDA MERDZAN is a unique songstress who’s caught our attention (and Canadian Music Week’s too – more on that below) with her newest video. Entitled Afraid, you’ll hear it on her upcoming release, The Map Has Been Redrawn, out on March 2nd.

Afraid has a strong charging rhythm that pushes it forward with instrumentation and power that’s reminiscent of FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, while still managing to maintain an indie/folk feel. It boasts a nice catchy chorus too, one that has already stuck in the heads of the people I’ve been playing it for – I’m quite enamoured of it. - The Indie Machine (Canada)

Merdzan definitely has the chops to hold a crowd with her intricate guitar work.
- Drum Media

Merdzan definitely has the chops to hold a crowd with her intricate guitar work.
- Drum Media

Amanda Merdzan stepped to the stage with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and lyrics that caught the ear of everyone in the room. Beautiful songs that were at times introspective and sad, but never felt sorry for themselves, with mid-song banter that was just endearing."
- Drum Media

If there was such a genre as power folk, there would be nothing better to encompass it than Amanda Merdzan. With her outspoken prose and striking melodies, listening to Amanda’s music is almost like having a conversation with the woman herself.

Rapidly gaining popularity in music circles both locally and abroad, this feisty indie/folk sensation is showing no signs of stopping. Amanda has been performing solo since 2008. And she has gone a long way since then; even going as far as spending three months in the US promoting her album ‘Into the Gallery’, performing for crowds in reputable venues in New York such as Le Poisson Rouge, Arlene’s Grocery, Pianos and Wicked Willy’s among others. Amanda has also supported acts such as Oh Mercy, Skipping Girl Vinegar, Timothy Nelson and the Infidels, Split Seconds, and The Ghost Hotel.

After listening to her album, Into the Gallery I finally understood why she has been enjoying such warm reception from people from all over the globe. Her songs are raw and true; accurate renditions of the human experience artfully told in just over a few minutes.

In fact, after listening to her tracks, you’d think you’ve known Amanda your whole life. Well, you may as well do because there’s just so much of herself in her songs. Whether it be the candid playfulness of the track ‘To Know You’, the point-blank story telling of ‘Esther’, the incessant longing for the familiar in ‘Missing Home’, or the tongue-in-cheek narrative of ‘Your Mother’, it is not hard to fall in love with her compositions.

Amanda strips music to the bare essentials: a well-tuned instrument or two, a beautiful voice, and a captivating story – a perfect example of less being more. The instruments are used sparingly and at just the right amount, giving her rich, earthy voice the emphasis it demands, all while setting the groundwork for the ever-changing dynamics of her songs.

This same music also breathes life to her poetry as the lyrics seem to leap out and linger even after the songs have long ended. In fact, each song is an experience in itself; a story of everyday happenings and struggles, stories of love, of youth, and of other people’s mothers.

But perhaps what separates Amanda’s music from the rest is its truthfulness. Her songs will catch you off-guard, right when you think you already know what’s going to happen. And you find yourself laughing at her poignant stories or crying with her pains. In the end, you wonder what hit you.

Backed by the equally talented Daniel Merdzan on drums, Timothy Nelson alternating guitar and keys, and Brad Forest on bass, Amanda is doing what she does best in performances across Perth and soon, all over the world. With talk of a new album by the end of this year, there’s no saying what Amanda is up to next. But we can expect seeing more of her in the next few months.

- Sound of the Stage

"Down the road and past the freshly sprayed stars on the footpath featuring names of Freo stars past and present, The Secret Heater Theatre was playing host to the rare on stage teaming of Amanda Merdzan & Timothy Nelson. Truth be told, they didn't even need to play any songs, such was the sheer humour coming from their banter." - X-Press Magazine

Next up at 459 was, Amanda Merdzan, who if you have never heard her before, is simply amazing. Her songs in themselves are wonderful, but when she puts her beautiful voice to them, they are just mesmerizing. A true joy to watch and to listen to and a wonderfully generous person who not only gave of her time that night, but donated all proceeds from sales of her album that night to the flood relief effort. - The AU Review

There’s nothing like that feeling you get when you fall in love with a new musician. You want to shout it from the rooftops and share with the world the way this performer makes you feel. I’m lucky; I have a blog for that. So here it is folks: I am utterly enamoured with the music of Amanda Merdzan.

Now before you ask me who let me fill you in. Amanda is a singer-songwriter living just outside Perth, and she’s just released Into the Gallery, an album which is blowing my mind. On it Amanda sings, plays guitar, keyboards, percussion, and even glockenspiel. And oh yes, she touches your heart.

Her acoustic, organic folk songs are some of the best I’ve heard all year. She paints pictures so vivid that you feel you know the characters inside the songs: the lost love, the potential mother-in-law hoping you’ll stay with her son, Esther and her loving husband. She sings with such conviction and truth that you feel the songs in your gut. I shed a tear on listening to the closing track “The Last Song,” a tale of moving on after a breakup, and thought how rare and beautiful it was to be so stirred by music.

I feel so privileged and thrilled to know about Amanda Merdzan and her music, and I hope it’s only a matter of time before the rest of Australia catches up. She deserves every success, because she’s honestly incredible. - Sounds of Oz

There’s nothing like that feeling you get when you fall in love with a new musician. You want to shout it from the rooftops and share with the world the way this performer makes you feel. I’m lucky; I have a blog for that. So here it is folks: I am utterly enamoured with the music of Amanda Merdzan.

Now before you ask me who let me fill you in. Amanda is a singer-songwriter living just outside Perth, and she’s just released Into the Gallery, an album which is blowing my mind. On it Amanda sings, plays guitar, keyboards, percussion, and even glockenspiel. And oh yes, she touches your heart.

Her acoustic, organic folk songs are some of the best I’ve heard all year. She paints pictures so vivid that you feel you know the characters inside the songs: the lost love, the potential mother-in-law hoping you’ll stay with her son, Esther and her loving husband. She sings with such conviction and truth that you feel the songs in your gut. I shed a tear on listening to the closing track “The Last Song,” a tale of moving on after a breakup, and thought how rare and beautiful it was to be so stirred by music.

I feel so privileged and thrilled to know about Amanda Merdzan and her music, and I hope it’s only a matter of time before the rest of Australia catches up. She deserves every success, because she’s honestly incredible. - Sounds of Oz

Amanda Merdzan's debut album is a subtle affair full of minimal instrumentation and lyrical depth.

Essentially this is a one-woman singer-songwriter affair, with a strong focus on acoustic guitar augmented occasionally by drums, bass, piano and a glockenspiel. But the laid back nature of this album bellies the genuine anguish at play in almost every one of Merdzan's songs.

It's been three years since her band Shake Angel called it quits. Anybody who has heard them will instantly recognise the dominating voice, but here the singer has found herself a format which really allows for diversity of emotion beyond the standard rock format.

Vocally at least Merdzan tends to play to her strengths. Some of the songs emit the distinct vibe that they have been written as heartfelt poetry and then applied to music afterward, rather than naturally occurring as songs. But the genius of this is that the album becomes more and more enjoyable on multiple plays, as the listener starts to get inside the head of the writer.

This album reads like the intimate journal of a mildly tortured, if upbeat, soul. It's impossible to criticise a song like The Ghost ("I'm so damn scared that from this bed you'll never awake"), one just has to empathise.

Equal parts catharsis and shy exhibitionism, Into The Gallery, is an earnest and courageous outpouring, emotionally affecting, and totally worth your time. - X-Press Magazine