In the categories of apples and oranges, it is hard to put the musical efforts of Amy Stone into a single fruit basket. On one hand, there is the lascivious, bacchanalian romp of The Galpines, a no holds barred folk-powered free-for-all of questionable life choices. On the other hand we have, Amy Stone & The Veneers, a perfectly polished high-powered pop machine. The two are almost incomparable, but with the release of the latter’s debut single, “Courage Under Fire,” we’re now at least able to hold them up side by side.
That shift in sound isn’t coincidental. It’s a conscious change Amy Stone has made to her style (at least in the capacity of The Veneers) that marks an entire turning point in her life.
The musical chasm between the bands is like night and day, two genres completely sundered by continental plates with Stone bridging the gap. And it started, literally, with Stone dropping her guitar.
The song kicks off with Stone in a low place, which is right where you’d expect to be when you need to pick yourself up. The pop anthem preaches perseverance in any problematic position.
“’Courage Under Fire’ is about one garbage week I had a few years back that began by dropping my guitar and ended in my getting fired from a job I was absolute shit at,” says Stone.
“I needed to pursue love and music with more vulnerability and zeal than I’d ever had the courage to before. And I guess, subconsciously, I wanted an anthem to help fortify me for that journey.”
Amy Stone & The Veneers say they will be heading into the studio this fall, continuing their work with Saint John producer Adam Dincorn of Undertone Music, to record a series of accompanying singles.