Olive Amun bargains his life for love on 'Sell My Soul'

Melbourne artist Olive Amun has recently released his sixth single of 2021 titled ‘Sell My Soul’. Olive Amun writes about the extent he would go to make the person he loves come back after they left due to his mistakes. Olive sings over a bossa nova style beat which is a groove indicative of romance and love which further accentuates the message of the song. The Melbourne artist has released multiple singles over 2020 and 2021 and has demonstrated his versatility by delving into many musical styles with guitar as a fundamental aspect of his music.

Olive seems to be traversing a multitude of genres with the recent singles he has released, with his guitar skills demonstrating how live instrumentation is pertinent to the process of creating good music because of the authenticity of it. We are excited to see what Olive Amun will be releasing in the year of 2022, whether it is another single or perhaps an EP or Album.

The instrumentation and Olive’s vocal timbre perfectly suits the sombre and sad mood of the song. ‘Sell My Soul’ is about going above and beyond to get back the person you love while their love for you is slowly diminishing. This sad realisation is the reason why an individual may go to the extent of selling their soul despite the hyperbole. The static at the very end of the song is perhaps indicative of the culmination of the relationship. And, with no way of getting back together, the listener is left with a familiar realisation that many may have undergone before. The combination of instrumentation, lyricism and mood has created an excellent piece of music that I think will continue to develop through Olive Amun’s artistic journey which we are eagerly anticipating in the near future.

The track’s intro starts with a harmonic layer of a two chord groove which is indicative of the bossa nova style. However instead of staying with that harmony the guitar changes to an F#7 suspended chord with a flat 9th which is not typical in this era of music. The melodic and rhythmic layers enter simultaneously. The vocals enter on beat 4 with a melodically simple but rhythmically syncopated line accompanied by a common clap rhythm. The drums drive this piece and work perfectly with the guitar rhythm, providing direction and momentum throughout the piece. The counter melodies and solos on the guitar utilise a strong reverb effect which emphatically adds to the mood of the song and creates a sombre and melancholic expression of the loneliness portrayed by Olive Amun.

Photos by Emilio Dümar (@shotbydumar)

Mix & Master by @ayotraee

Words by Byron Zeledon-Torres