Felix Ames Returns With New Two-Pack, ‘Bend, Don’t Break’ And ‘Shoestring’
‘Shoestring’ became a fan favorite upon its initial release.
Buzzing Milwaukee soul phenomenon Felix Ames returns with a brand new two-pack—comprised of “Bend, Don’t Break” and “Shoestring.” The tracks mark his official debut for Def Jam Recordings.
“Bend, Don’t Break” illuminates the magic of his approach, blurring the lines between R&B, jazz, and soul spiked with just the right amount of guitar virtuosity. A funky bass line thumps beneath soulful verses punctuated by sparse percussion.
Amidst flights of falsetto, he makes a confession, “I’m just too stuck in my ways to see you bend, don’t break for me,” before observing, “Maybe this life we built just ain’t built for me.” He leans into the production with raw emotion as a warbling guitar solo carries the last crescendo to the heavens.
Meanwhile, “Shoestring” remains a fan favorite. It has already piled up 2.5 million Spotify streams and counting. Earmilk applauded it as “a tour-de-force for a very fresh face in the musical landscape.”
“Shoestring” is an emotionally charged and vulnerable anthem, with Ames singing, “Not a dollar to my name I couldn’t take you out/ If I wanted to/ Shoestring budget had to tie you down/ Uppin’ my net worth I just can’t hold you when/ I’m hurtin’ see/ S__t gets heavy when you/ Carry the sins of your father/ See I got plenty/ Everything I see is unsure lately.” During the chorus, he adds, “But I can’t find my way now, way now/ Looking for a way out, way out, way out.”
Felix Ames quietly asserted himself as a soul maverick in 2022. Reupping old school spirit with 21st century flare, seismic vocals, and sonic fireworks of his own, he piled up millions of streams across “Shoestring,” “SPF,” and “7711.”
Earning widespread critical acclaim from the likes of Early Rising and more, OnesToWatch raved, “We’re all salivating to see what’s born from Ames’ continued evolution,” and Lyrical Lemonade attested, “Felix Ames is definitely an artist to watch.”
