Amber Mark

Since the arrival of her widely lauded debut EP 3:33am, Amber Mark’s voice has performed a powerful alchemy, often turning pain and heartache into extraordinary beauty. When matched with her prismatic musicality—an element shaped by her nomadic upbringing, including time spent in New York City, Miami, Berlin, India, Thailand, and Nepal—the Tennessee-born artist’s spellbinding vocals and lavish storytelling often create a sensation of rapturous surrender. In a departure from her past work’s existential soul-searching and nuanced reflection on grief, Mark’s sophomore album Pretty Idea journeys into lighter but no less layered emotional terrain: the ache and chaos and occasional euphoria of falling deep into an impossible romance. Steeped in a warm and groove-driven sound that hits every pleasure center, the result is a daring leap forward for one of modern music’s most fascinating singer/songwriters.

The follow-up to Three Dimensions Deep (a 2022 LP praised by the likes of Pitchfork, Stereogum, and NPR), Pretty Idea finds Mark joining forces with several of her frequent collaborators, including leading producers like Julian Bunetta (Teddy Swims, Gracie Abrams), John Ryan (Sabrina Carpenter, Niall Horan), and Two Fresh (Mac Miller, Samara Cyn). “Because I was so comfortable with everyone I worked with on this album, I felt really free to express myself creatively—there was none of the anxiety that’s sometimes consumed me in the past,” she says. Not only evident in her unfettered vocal work, that sense of freedom manifests in the lovely fluidity of Pretty Idea’s sonic palette—a gorgeously orchestrated fusion of R&B, indie-folk, soul, funk, dream-pop, and more. “Even though a lot of these songs are about heartbreak and the end of a long-term relationship, the record still feels really fun and joyful,” notes Mark, naming yacht-rock legends like The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan among her touchstones for the album.