Amanda Gabriel Crystallises Nostalgia into Sentimentality’s Sharpest Edge in Her Indie-Pop Single, Always Better

With her theatre roots, New Jersey-bred vulnerability, and a self-diagnosed tendency to feel too much, Amanda Gabriel builds entire sonic topographies from emotion. In Always Better, her girl-next-door demureness sharpens the blow of her emotional candour. The single pulls you under with infectiously seraphic progressions, tinged with a gentle nod to 90s and 00s pop, while keeping one eye fixed on the horizon. The production elevates the songwriting to stratospheric heights. What begins with a dreamy, cloudlike atmosphere slowly tightens its grip as jangly guitar chops carve through the softness. It’s delicate without being breakable, with Gabriel’s dynamic vocal range gliding over the instrumental with glassy, diaphanous harmonies that feel fragile and unshakable. Lyrically, Always Better distils emotional chaos into clarity, moving through beauty, confusion, pain, and longing without over-explaining or overstating. From the first verse, the sentimental pull is inescapable, and by the final note, you’ll know precisely what she meant—even if she never told you outright. Her debut EP, also titled Always Better, made a strong first mark in early summer 2024, with the title track climbing to #16 on the aBreak58 chart and earning a slot on their radio station and playlist. Always Better is now available to […]

The post Amanda Gabriel Crystallises Nostalgia into Sentimentality’s Sharpest Edge in Her Indie-Pop Single, Always Better appeared first on A&R Factory.