Press
Kendra Amalie’s Two Rivers mixtape (as Kendraplex) is already one of my favorite releases of 2022, but even with its expansive scope and all the wide shadows it casts, it still only scratches the surface of her bottomless well of talent. Amalie’s 2019 debut, Intuition, glides effortlessly across aerated surfaces as easily as it will shred any landscape into a glittering nothingness. Her songs have an old spirit baked in, but Amalie looks to dig through any morass to find that right zone to lock onto.
Back to Two Rivers, though, and the groove she etches out with hypnotic organ explorations and holographic voice stretches are an excellent development, promising new skin to shed.
Foxy Digitalis
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Neil Kulkarni for The Wire
Neil Kulkarni for The Wire
As Amalie demonstrates, a musician—or anyone else—needn’t have any large-scale infrastructure to contribute their own effort. Pitchfork
Recorded within the confines of her shed in the city of St. Francis in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, there is something undeniably primitive about Intuition, the debut album from the American singer-songwriter, 12-string guitarist and experimental artist Kendra Amalie. By the time that Intuition reaches ‘Become The Light’ any sense of austerity and annihilation has long since been banished as Kendra Amalie’s lightning-rod guitar conducts with Taralie Peterson’s cello and the song builds into a glorious mid-section crescendo. The more avant, free-form expressionism of ‘Improvisation for Mark Hollis’ and ‘Look At The Light (Source)’ – complete with its rather delightful false ending and pedal steel coda – highlight Kendra Amelie’s tremendous versatility and confidence over a wide range of sonic structures and bring to a close a debut offering of immense promise. God Is In The TV
A striking statement and debut that's murky, messy and lived-in. Kendra Amalie splits the difference between brainy, full-band freakazoid rock and heady 12-string burn-outs. NPR
Recorded within the confines of her shed in the city of St. Francis in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, there is something undeniably primitive about Intuition, the debut album from the American singer-songwriter, 12-string guitarist and experimental artist Kendra Amalie. By the time that Intuition reaches ‘Become The Light’ any sense of austerity and annihilation has long since been banished as Kendra Amalie’s lightning-rod guitar conducts with Taralie Peterson’s cello and the song builds into a glorious mid-section crescendo. The more avant, free-form expressionism of ‘Improvisation for Mark Hollis’ and ‘Look At The Light (Source)’ – complete with its rather delightful false ending and pedal steel coda – highlight Kendra Amelie’s tremendous versatility and confidence over a wide range of sonic structures and bring to a close a debut offering of immense promise. God Is In The TV
A striking statement and debut that's murky, messy and lived-in. Kendra Amalie splits the difference between brainy, full-band freakazoid rock and heady 12-string burn-outs. NPR
Her multifaceted sonic personality lands well because of her focused vision. Whether she's dazzling on fingerstyle guitar, singing a sinister pop song, or experimenting with synths and droning feedback, all the elements carry her distinctive stamp and fit together in the strange but welcoming landscape of Intuition. Fred Thomas, All Music
Amalie’s solo debut LP takes a fresh stab at elements of American Primitivism and folk rock, as well as psychedelic and ambient music. She then twists each omultifaceted sonic personality lands well because of her focused vision. Whether she's dazzling on fingerstyle guitar, singing a sinister pop song, or experimenting with synths and droning feedback, all the elements carry her distinctive stamp and fit together in the strange but welcoming landscape of Intuition.f them apart and mutates them all together into a wholly unique beast. Amalie proves again and again across the record that she and her craft cannot be pigeonholed. Whatever expectations or preconceptions the listener may have will be completely—and wonderfully—demolished. Record Crates United
Amalie’s solo debut LP takes a fresh stab at elements of American Primitivism and folk rock, as well as psychedelic and ambient music. She then twists each omultifaceted sonic personality lands well because of her focused vision. Whether she's dazzling on fingerstyle guitar, singing a sinister pop song, or experimenting with synths and droning feedback, all the elements carry her distinctive stamp and fit together in the strange but welcoming landscape of Intuition.f them apart and mutates them all together into a wholly unique beast. Amalie proves again and again across the record that she and her craft cannot be pigeonholed. Whatever expectations or preconceptions the listener may have will be completely—and wonderfully—demolished. Record Crates United