"At 10 I light my first cigarette and drive down to L.A."
At 10(pm), Amen Dunes lit up the stage of the Troubadour down in West Hollywood LA. NYC-based indie singer Damon McMahon is taking his new album _Freedom_ up the west coast. It's been four years since the release of his last album _Love,_ and the 'sold out' signs plastered across the entrance of the venue are testament to his fan's mounting anticipation for his new work. While he maintains the same poetic lyricism of _Love,_ tackling abstract themes of memory and intimacy, _Freedom_ hits a more personal chord. Amidst his prismatic stylings, the album approaches autobiography, dealing with themes of loss, childhood, masculinity, and the melancholy matters of growing up.
McMahon's voice is lilting and atmospheric but with an unmistakable edge. Produced by Chris Coady, responsible for Beach House's _Teen Dream_ and _Depression Cherry,_ Amen Dunes is an indie-rock oasis amid the 99% trap-inspired beats of 2018's musical milieu. McMahon sings with half a snarl and half a wink, never letting sentiment overshadow his wry sensibility. After all, his chosen opener was absurdist comedian Gregg Turkington (of Tim Heidecker's _On Cinema_) performing as his stand-up alter-ego Neil Hamburger.
Collaborating with variety of musical talent from Italian electronic artist Panoram, guitarist Delicate Steve, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner, _Freedom_ is confident and dynamic. Some of the more upbeat tunes like 'Miki Dora' and 'Blue Rose' even prompted the bespectacled, canvas tote-toting audience members to bump and sway to the best of their ability. Clapping and whooping 'marry me's at McMahon throughout the show, I didn't see a single member of the audience exit the theater before the final encore.
Listen to the [album](https://amendunes.bandcamp.com/album/freedom) and check out the bands [schedule](https://www.amendunes.com/tour-1/) to catch them on tour this summer.
* * *
Written by Louisa Solarz
Photographed by Nicole Busch
"At 10 I light my first cigarette and drive down to L.A."
At 10(pm), Amen Dunes lit up the stage of the Troubadour down in West Hollywood LA. NYC-based indie singer Damon McMahon is taking his new album _Freedom_ up the west coast. It's been four years since the release of his last album _Love,_ and the 'sold out' signs plastered across the entrance of the venue are testament to his fan's mounting anticipation for his new work. While he maintains the same poetic lyricism of _Love,_ tackling abstract themes of memory and intimacy, _Freedom_ hits a more personal chord. Amidst his prismatic stylings, the album approaches autobiography, dealing with themes of loss, childhood, masculinity, and the melancholy matters of growing up.
McMahon's voice is lilting and atmospheric but with an unmistakable edge. Produced by Chris Coady, responsible for Beach House's _Teen Dream_ and _Depression Cherry,_ Amen Dunes is an indie-rock oasis amid the 99% trap-inspired beats of 2018's musical milieu. McMahon sings with half a snarl and half a wink, never letting sentiment overshadow his wry sensibility. After all, his chosen opener was absurdist comedian Gregg Turkington (of Tim Heidecker's _On Cinema_) performing as his stand-up alter-ego Neil Hamburger.
Collaborating with variety of musical talent from Italian electronic artist Panoram, guitarist Delicate Steve, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner, _Freedom_ is confident and dynamic. Some of the more upbeat tunes like 'Miki Dora' and 'Blue Rose' even prompted the bespectacled, canvas tote-toting audience members to bump and sway to the best of their ability. Clapping and whooping 'marry me's at McMahon throughout the show, I didn't see a single member of the audience exit the theater before the final encore.
Listen to the [album](https://amendunes.bandcamp.com/album/freedom) and check out the bands [schedule](https://www.amendunes.com/tour-1/) to catch them on tour this summer.
* * *
Written by Louisa Solarz
Photographed by Nicole Busch
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