OCEAN SPRINGS – The new year will bring new sounds with it, as coast artist Amber Hrabak puts the finishing touches on what is shaping up to be a significant release in her career.
She’s been a live player and an active part of the coast’s working entertainer community for years. As a singer/songwriter and skilled guitarist, she’s often been found bringing the tunes solo, joining to collab with other local players, and turning up at the front of a band. With an emphasis on musical variety and an appetite for constantly learning and creating new material, Hrabak delights listeners with a multi genre blend of guitar based cover tunes along with original material that she often enjoys trying out and shaping up in a live setting. For her, bringing this original music together into finished recordings marks a significant new chapter in a story that reaches back to childhood.
“That’s all I did, stay in my room and just play guitar… and write bad songs,” Amber joked. She had started off playing the keyboard- a talent she discovered with the help of her mother. By age 13, it was all about the guitar. By 16 or so she was playing small gigs and coffee shops, and has had a consistent performing career ever since.
“I’ve always listened to all kinds of stuff, and I try to write that way too,” she explained, adding that her inspiration encompasses everything from indie to poppy songs to blues and country, and that some of her favorite material to draw on includes artists such as Jeff Buckley, Alanis Morissette, and Ed Sheeran. Much like Sheeran, Hrabak is skilled with live looping and is able to build layers of a song from scratch, including basic beats and guitar rhythms which she can play lead electric or acoustic and sing along to. It’s something that adds a lot of dynamic energy to a solo performance and widens the range of material she can tackle alone.
Lunation is the first of two upcoming EPs from Amber Hrabak and is due to drop in early January. According to her, the record deals with darker themes, personal struggle and shadow work, as represented by the lunar theme. The second EP to come, Sunflora, will act as the brighter counterbalance with themes of healing, redemption and coming out of the darkness as represented by the Sun. The two EPs will combine to present as a larger two-part album.
“Free from You” is the first single from Lunation and is dropping in December ahead of the EP. It features a punchy full band sound with lightly overdriven guitars, crisp yet soulful layered singing and an upbeat rhythm and overall vibe behind the introspective lyrics. The single and much of the upcoming new material began as a “bare bones” acoustic song and was worked up into this final form with some contributions from friends such as producers Dacota Berkowitz and Nick Robinson, Pat McGinley, and guitar from Amber’s husband Sebastian. It’s strong single with a tasty groove, and acts and an intriguing first glimpse at the much larger serving of music coming right behind it.
As the new tunes roll out, the live shows go on. Catch Amber Hrabak making both evening and daytime appearances as a number of coast area lounges, eateries and music venues. December dates include stops at Os1515, Ground Zero and The Blind Tiger. Catch up with her on her socials below to stay up to date on shows and upcoming releases, or check out a bunch of fun performance content in her Facebook Reels.
“I just want to keep writing songs and I hope that I can connect with people. That’s what matters to me the most…” Amber said. “Do what you love and don’t ever give up!”
~Enjoy Local Music~
@ScottiRedd
scott@coastobserver.com
Photos courtesy of Red Radio Productions South
Lunation EP artwork by Bonnie Andersen (Long Beach High School)
