Amama (album) explained

Amama
Type:	studio
Cover:	Crumb - Amama.png
Artist:	Crumb
Length:	35:14
Label:	Crumb
Prev Title:	Ice Melt
Prev Year:	2021

Amama (stylized as AMAMA) is the third studio album by American band Crumb, released on May 17, 2024.^[1]

Production and release

The album was announced in March 2024.^[2] The album was produced by Johnscott Sanford and Jonathan Rado.^[1]

Lila Ramani, Crumb's frontwoman, has said the album is dedicated to her grandmother.^[2] Some of the songs featured on Amama were written during the production of the band's previous album, Ice Melt, and others pre-date the band's first album, Jinx.^[3]

Critical reception

Amama received a score of 78 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, which the website categorized as "generally favorable" reception.

Samuel Hyland, writing for Pitchfork, praised Amama and contrasted it positively with the band's first two albums, referring to it as a "a sleeker, riskier, and more rewarding iteration of Crumb's approach".^[1]

Personnel

Crumb

• Bri Aronow – production, mixing (all tracks); piano (tracks 1, 6, 9), alto saxophone (1, 10), whistle (1), synthesizer (2–11), Rhodes (2, 3, 6, 9), Mellotron (2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11), harpsichord (3), organ (9)
• Jesse Brotter – bass, production, mixing (all tracks); additional feedback (track 10)
• Jonathan Gilad – production, mixing (all tracks); drums (tracks 1–6, 8–11), shaker (1), drum programming (2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11), tambourine (3), electronic drums (8, 9), MPC (12)
• Lila Ramani – production, mixing, additional recording (all tracks); vocals (tracks 1–6, 8–12), synthesizer (1, 4, 5, 10, 11); acoustic guitar, Mellotron (1); keyboards (2, 4, 5), guitar (3, 5–12), drum programming (4, 5), electric sitar (4), piano (6)

Additional contributors

• Jonathan Rado – production (all tracks), theremin (track 9)
• Johnscott Sanford – production, mixing, engineering
• Joe LaPorta – mastering
• James Riotto – engineering assistance
• Josh Schuback – engineering assistance
• Nathan Cimino – engineering assistance
• Robert Shelton – engineering assistance

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hyland . Samuel . Crumb: Amama Album Review . 23 May 2024 . Pitchfork.
2. News: Rettig . James . Crumb Announce New Album Amama: Hear Its Title Track . 24 May 2024 . . 26 March 2024 . en.
3. Crumb: "This album feels a bit less manicured and timid – it's not afraid to lean into the weirder sides of our sound" . 25 May 2024 . . 23 May 2024 . en.