Iversen are a self-described “DIY Synth Pop band”, hailing from south-east London, and here they unveil their new single, Amsterdam.
The song is inspired by a trip to Amsterdam, on which musician and songwriter Josh Iverson accompanied bandmate and co-songwriter Jonathan Royall, on the latter’s stag do. The song looks to capture the experience of getting lost in a foreign place, both in the sense of being alone in an unfamiliar location, but also the sense of internal reflection that comes with that.
The music itself rides a series of warm, introspective synth notes, slow ambient tones shifting in the song’s background as the band gradually piece together poetic vocals, percussion, and guitars. There is a feeling and an aesthetic here that reminds me of John Martyn’s sometimes-maligned but under-appreciated album, Glorious Fool, which, as it happens, also features a song titled Amsterdam. The high-fidelity production employed by Phil Collins on that album reminds me somewhat of the richness Iversen display here. Iversen’s sound, which they say is in part inspired by the sophisticated pop of Prefab Sprout, is undoubtedly more electronic, but has a similar attention to detail.
In addition to being about the introspection brought on by being in a new place, Amsterdam is a tribute to Johnny, as Josh describes:
‘This song is for Jonny — an appreciation of him as a friend and collaborator. So many of our tracks have a poppy, romantic slant to them, and one of the most important things to me are the friends in my life, so I wanted to channel my love for him in this track.’
The song is accompanied by a deliberately lo-fi video, which was filmed, animated, and edited by Josh, jokingly swapping the canals of Amsterdam for the more budget-friendly ones of Hackney. Check it out below:
