Perhaps you were hip to the Canadian indie-pop scene, but then took a break from listening to Canadian music for some reason. You may have returned years later to ask, “Hey, whatever happened to that cool Montreal band, Alpha & The Van?” Well, the four members of the band now play under a new name – Amber Days – and have released their new “debut” album, On The Run.
Why the quotation marks, you ask? As Alpha & The Van, the band released a good amount of music between 2017 and 2021, including their 2019 LP Propeller and the 2020 single “Four Months”, the latter of which would go on to appear as On The Run‘s fourth track. In 2024, they officially changed their moniker to Amber Days, feeling the name better represented their sonic and visual aesthetic. They also put out “I Wonder How It Feels” that same year, which was a preview for the new music of On The Run: Warm, jazzy, swimming in nostalgic funk sound. Further singles “1974”, “All These Dreams”, “On My Own”, and “Blueberries” followed in the following months, during which Amber Days continued to performance and work on other music.
So it’s not like the name change came from a long hiatus or a shake-up in the band’s roster. In fact, throughout On The Run, the quartet sounds as tight as ever. They are Mario Gervais (guitar/vox), Alexy Préfontaine a.k.a. aeforia (keys/vox/art direction), Samuel Jalbert (drums/vox), and Vincent Dessureault (bass). And with almost a decade of experience playing together in the Montreal and greater Québec circuit, they’ve put everything in their arsenal into the new album: All the energy, the groove, and the uplifting sound palette they’ve compiled over the years.
But On The Run is – in part – an album about change, which fits the choice to take on a new band name. It’s beyond change, even: It’s about evolution. The lead track “Present Tense” is about letting the past stay in the past, living in the moment, and appreciating the beauty of life and its endless possibilities. But evolution is not such an easy process, as the band state on “Blueberries”: “I’ve been on the run, tryin’ to figure it out / But where am I to go? I’ve been feeling low.” The album captures the whole journey from past to present: The search for meaning, the uncertainty, the need for acceptance, the moment of self-realization, and the daring to live fully and open ourselves up to love.
The album’s structure somewhat shapes this journey. “Present Tense” starts things off with a burst of warped sound, as if we are entering our souls for meditation. “1974” jettisons us into a funky land which captures the analog tape-drenched saturation of yesteryear, which symbolizes the fleeting past. Those funky sounds stick around through “You’re the One” and “Four Months”, slowing down when we get to “Blueberries”, the de facto end of the first half (and also, the most reflective point) of the record.
“All These Dreams” kicks off Side 2 by getting back into the funk, with a lyrical manifesto to try and chase new dreams, no matter the struggle. “Generation” and “On My Own” follow; the latter song features a guitar and bass so funky that it blew up across Québec and Europe, passing the 10,000 stream milestone in just two weeks. The songs capture the anxiety of the current major generations and the constant search for perfection, looking for the missing piece that will make everything fall into place. The instrumental “Exit 95” leads into “Neon Moon”, a slowed-down jam with blissed-out synths and vibes that captures the feeling of drifting, whether it’s back to the beginning of one’s spiritual journey or simply in the middle of the void.
To wrap things up, the band ends with an album remix of “I Wonder How It Feels”, summarizing the album’s themes of wanting peace among chaos and confusion. The song makes it clear that it’s speaking of inner peace, questioning why people seek it from outside sources instead of digging deep: “Everybody wants peace / Why do I search outside? / Why don’t I close my eyes?” It’s funky, meditative, and a surefire crowd pleaser. (I’m sure it’s difficult to access the inner spirit and become one with your soul while you’re dancing to this number. But I won’t stop you from trying; in fact, I’m right there with you.)
On The Run is a wonderful “debut”, in that it showcases the first grand release under the longtime Montreal band’s new identity. It covers the restlessness everyone has in searching for the next best thing, which they feel will fill them with enlightenment and show them the answer to life. But sometimes, it doesn’t take much to spiritually level up. Maybe you keep jamming and hanging out with your friends, but you change your band name and throw a little more funk into your guitar technique. For Amber Days, it seems that’s all it took to get the metaphysical and musical juices flowing.
Take a look at the music video for “Present Tense”, the lead track from On The Run, below.
Written by Will Sisskind
