2024, the first full album of Scarlet Avenue—comprising brothers Amos and Adam Ang—reached Number 1 on the iTunes charts last week when it launched. We check out the mellow rock numbers about longing, inner struggles and coming home.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SCARLET AVENUE.
Since they released their first single, “Happy Heartbreak” in 2014 (which went to #7 on iTunes), the Ang brothers who make up pop duo Scarlet Avenue, worked hard to refine their sound. Two other singles followed—“Paper Plane”, which reached Number 3 on iTunes, and “Lighthouse”.
Last Friday, Mar 4, Scarlet Avenue’s full album, 2024 reached #1 on iTunes—it was the weeks’s the most downloaded album.
2024 (read “Twenty Twenty Four”) is a combination in reference to the boys’ ages—Adam is 20 and Amos is 24. Fittingly, the album is a “coming-of-age” achievement for them.
“2024 represents the place we are at now—we are on the edge of becoming our best selves, not just in age, but we hope in our sound and our songwriting. 2024 also rings of the future—what our hopes and dreams are for what lies ahead for Scarlet Avenue,” says older brother Amos.
Part of a wave of Singaporean musicians in the indie/ alternative and pop/ rock genres, Scarlet Avenue has performed live at a variety of cafes and schools, and penned songs for MediaCorp telemovies and as well as several local SG50 celebrations. In addition, they have a growing fan base in the Philippines.
Many of the songs on 2024 are inspired by the six years they spent in France, where their father was based for work. Their stay there left them with a fluent command of the language, as well as memories of road trips and wanderlust, which forms the key theme for “C’est La Vie” (“This Is Life”). Another song, “Mr Jack” is a fast-paced rock number that tells a story of a prodigal son, while “Riot” talks about the inner struggles between the head and the heart.
The band is managed by Singapore-based record label United Records. Says producer Eric Wong, “It takes effort to craft a song with lyrics and melodies that hook listeners immediately and touch their hearts. Scarlet Avenue’s songs have a habit of sticking in your head—don’t be surprised if you find yourself humming those tunes all day long.”
2024 is available for download on all major digital platforms including iTunes, Spotify and Amazon.com.
