Last week, Cali-via-Texas songwriter Alex Amen released his debut collection of songs via ATO Records. Sun of Amen introduced the artist’s work as a blend of sounds that embrace both his past and present surroundings, with the record’s track list balancing between Southern country music and folk-pop familiar to 1970s Los Angeles. The single “Changes,” for example, boasts the gentle lilt of the former influence while its lush production provides the listener with fuzzy images of the cozy, retro studio confines it was recorded within.
The studio in question is LA’s Valentine Studios, where Amen recently returned to record a live performance of “Changes” backed by his studio band. While the live version largely stays true to the original’s composition, its video provides us with the imagery of a recording space so rooted in the ’70s that you can almost smell it. “We recorded this album at Valentine Studios because we’re drawn to records with that warm and classic feel,” Amen shares, “and Valentine is one of the most untouched, preserved spaces in the world for working in the old-school analog style. We wanted to be in a place that felt inspiring, and to lean into the limitations of analog gear so we could stay more present and focus on the music.”
Check out the performance below, and stream Sun of Amen here.
