8/10
With their sophomore EP 'Two Lands', Glasgow’s Azamiah step further into their own wilderness; one where modern jazz, ethereal electronics, and deeply rooted emotion grow wild and intertwined. There’s a subtle confidence in this new body of work, adding a quietly powerful addition to their already compelling catalogue to date.
If their debut 'In Phases' laid the groundwork for their genre-fluid ethos, 'Two Lands' feels like its spiritual next chapter. The project captures both stillness and movement in a way that is meditative yet never meandering. Anchored by India Blue’s luminous vocal work, the quartet craft something that feels like it grew rather than built.
Opening track 'My Lonely Heart' sets the emotional tone as it brushes against brokenness while reaching toward healing. Gossamer textures float over precise grooves, with soft-lit synths and flickering percussion. There’s sadness here, but one that breathes, transformed into motion and melody rather than left to stagnate.
The riveting title-track, written during a countryside retreat, channels that environment in sound. You can feel the space between notes like air between branches. But what stands out most is how deeply 'Two Lands' listens to itself. Azamiah let the songs unfold at their own pace, allowing space for emotion to stretch and settle. Each player is restrained but never distant, as Alex Palmer’s percussion gently guides, Norman Villeroux’s bass hums, and Josef Akin’s keys drift throughout.
In a scene teeming with talent, Azamiah carve out space by listening to both themselves and the world around them. 'Two Lands' is their most emotionally tuned-in offering yet, and it feels like the beginning of something deeper, stranger, and utterly their own to come.