Though it deals with heavy subjects, Ah Mer Ah Su’s sophomore EP Rebecca cocoons her listeners in swathes of vocal loops and keyboard melodies that inspire one to imagine a world beyond oppressive forces.
But that’s not to say that Rebecca is a utopia. Its most compelling track, “Klonopin,” frankly addresses the cocktail of prescription and party drugs Ah Mer Ah Su took to cope with a friend’s suicide. “Run, run / Hide, hide,” she sings in a dreamy falsetto, as if yearning to escape into the world she creates with her drum machine and twinkling keys that evoke a toy piano.
With “Space,” which carries on at the urgent pace of Sia’s “Chandelier,” Ah Mer Ah Su processes the painful experience of dealing with men who are ashamed of their attraction to trans women. (In interviews, she’s been candid in addressing violence against trans women at the hands of romantic partners.)
