Amanda McCarthy has lived enough life to fill several albums, and ‘Looking For The Light’ channels all of it into 11 tracks that move between pop, country, pop-punk, and quiet reflection with the ease of someone who stopped worrying about genre a long time ago. Produced in Nashville by Kristian Veech, the sophomore full-length is honest, grounded, and unmistakably hers, a record about confronting the past, processing the unprocessed, and choosing to thrive again on the other side.
McCarthy puts it plainly: “‘Looking For The Light’ encapsulates leaving the most triumphant era of your life to thrive, crash, burn, and thrive again in a new city while battling undiagnosed ADHD and years of unprocessed trauma. We are embracing the good, the bad, and the LOL WTF. We’re choosing forgiveness over anger, peace over revenge, and connection over alienation.” That clarity of intention runs through every track, from the Nashville-toned “Vodka” and “Every Bar Downtown” to the pop-punk energy of “I’m Not Fine (But I’m Okay)” and the quiet closing reflection of “Waste of a Heartbreak.”
The press response has been immediate and strong. Music City Melodies praised her growth as an artist, noting the music “still carries that touch of angst we all crave, now delivered with a new level of sophistication.” Laurelanne Media reached for a memorable comparison: “Wilson Phillips meets Taylor Swift in group therapy deciding laughter beats crying.” Nashville Socialite highlighted her effortless genre-blending as a genuine standout quality. All 3 assessments land.
McCarthy’s resume is already substantial. She’s shared stages with Steven Tyler, Train, Natasha Bedingfield, Hall & Oates, Imagine Dragons, Styx, and Rob Thomas, performed a nationally televised National Anthem on ESPN, earned Grammy ballot entries, and won Singer/Songwriter of the Year at the New England Music Awards. The story of how she got to Nashville, singing an Aerosmith song directly to Steven Tyler in a local bar before packing up and moving within the year, is exactly the kind of origin story that makes sense once you hear how fearlessly she performs.
‘Looking For The Light’ is the work of an artist who has processed the hard stuff and come out the other side with something genuinely worth sharing.
‘Looking For The Light’ Tracklist:
Vodka
Normal
Fine.
I’m Not Fine (But I’m Okay)
Every Bar Downtown
LOL WTF
Lifeline (Healed)
Sunset
Don’t Stop Me
The Last Word
Waste of a Heartbreak