REVIEW

The second EP from Los Angeles–based artist Amira Elfeky.

Originally from Connecticut, Amira Elfeky was introduced to early-2000s nu metal through her older brothers, growing up immersed in the heavy sounds of Deftones, Linkin Park, and Evanescence. As a teenager, her interests shifted toward hardcore, and by her late teens she had begun teaching herself guitar in her bathroom while writing songs via the BandLab app. At 18, she met producer and future manager Tylor Bondar, who was struck by her demos and offered to record her music free of charge—an early collaboration that gradually brought her closer to the sound she had been searching for.

A pivotal moment came when Elfeky impulsively searched YouTube for “Linkin Park Deftones type beat” and clicked the first result she saw. The track that followed inspired “Tonight,” an early signature song that would soon propel her into the spotlight. After she posted the song to TikTok in early July 2023, it quickly went viral, amassing millions of likes and marking the first time her name reached a global audience. The debut EP released the following March was widely praised as a defining statement of the nu-metal revival, cementing her reputation almost overnight. In retrospect, the trajectory bears notable similarities to Wisp’s rise, underscoring how TikTok-driven breakthroughs have become an established pathway rather than a fleeting trend within the contemporary music industry.

Released roughly a year after her debut EP, this second outing finds Elfeky pushing further into heavier and more emotionally charged territory. Produced in collaboration with Zakk Cervini—known for his work with Bring Me The Horizon, Pale Waves, Architects, and Poppy—the EP amplifies both weight and intensity across its runtime.

The shift is most apparent on #3 “Forever Overdose.” What begins with a mysterious, restrained verse erupts into waves of distortion and overwhelming sorrow, before cascading into an ultra-heavy breakdown triggered by Elfeky’s scream. This structural approach recurs throughout the EP, reinforcing its consistently punishing character. Notably, the increased heaviness serves to heighten one of Elfeky’s greatest strengths: her gothic-leaning, romantic melodic sensibility, which cuts through the density with striking clarity.

While the shoegaze-adjacent haze of her earlier material has receded, several outlets continue to frame her work within a Nu-Gaze context—now broadly understood as the intersection of nu metal and shoegaze. Given how widely that hybrid has entered the musical lexicon, the EP remains readily accessible to listeners beyond strictly metal-oriented circles.

Recent developments further underscore Elfeky’s accelerating momentum. Her appearances at major festivals such as Download Festival 2025, along with her selection as a support act on Bring Me The Horizon’s U.S. tour, reflect her rapidly expanding profile. Streaming figures tell a similar story: her monthly Spotify listeners reportedly climbed from around 800,000 to over one million within a week of this EP’s release.

Visually, the project’s recurring use of blue tones across its cover art and music videos is also notable. In particular, imagery in “Forever Overdose” evokes associations with Evanescence’s Fallen, a landmark release that reshaped gothic-leaning alternative music in the early 2000s.

Whether interpreted as homage or aspiration, the reference aligns with the EP’s broader sense of intent—suggesting an artist positioning herself with an eye toward lasting impact rather than fleeting virality.

Taken as a whole, this EP confirms Amira Elfeky as a formidable presence within the current heavy music landscape, and points toward a debut full-length album that carries considerable expectations.