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Nov 07, 2025 By Caleb Campbell

Today, New York-based indie folk singer/songwriter Amy Jay is sharing her new album, MNEMONICS, her third full-length release following her 2018 debut, So It Is, and her 2022 follow-up, Awake Sleeper. The record’s title doubles as a reminder of these songs’ purpose, with each track acting as a self-soothing mantra drawn from the therapeutic devices Jay developed over the past several years.

The titular MNEMONICS offer a series of vulnerable, healing narratives, set to Jay’s confessional songcraft and the instrumental contributions from Jay’s host of collaborators, who transform the tracks’ skeletal folk constructions into full-bodied indie rock. The record finds Jay joined by long-time producer/engineer Jon Seale, guitarist Sam Skinner (Pinegrove, Fenne Lily), keyboardist Andrew Freedman (Michael Mayo, Ryan Beatty), bassists Jeremy McDonald and Margaux (Katy Kirby), and drummers Jason Burger (Big Thief) and Jordan Rose (Maggie Rogers).

Today, accompanying the album’s release, Jay is also sharing a video for one of the record’s highlights, “Margins,” premiering with Under the Radar.

MNEMONICS dances deftly between sotly spun folk tones and more vibrant pop elements, all laced together with a crystalline production quality and deeply resonant melodies. Opener “Reliance” thrums with a quiet insistence, bolstered by a steady drumbeat and oscillating synths, while the gentle acoustic tones and airy harmonies on “Amalia” lend it a gorgeous celestial sheen. Meanwhile, glassy atmospheric efforts like “And So It Goes” stand alongside sweet and playful turns like “Conga.” Yet, beyond the record’s aesthetic shifts, each track can be pared back into a series of personal and heartfelt notes from Jay to herself, reminders to celebrate and lean on the lessons she carries with her.

“Margins” in particular straddles the line between folk and indie rock, dressing up Jay’s sweet melodic lines with satisfyingly fuzzy guitars and swooning, stacked vocal harmonies. The track hits many of the same stylistic notes as chiming and hooky fare from singer/songwriters like Miya Folick or Madi Diaz, but Jay’s lyrics turn these bright tones inward. Like the rest of the album, Jay’s songwriting on “Margins” feels like a page torn from her diary, complete with childhood reflections and a thoughtful dissection of the aches and pains she carries daily: “Yeah the monster in the margins / Coming to get me / And so I turned on the lights / My shadow appeared and it spooked me / Got out of bed and it followed me / Now it’s there / Keeping company / Now it’s there / Looming next to me / In the light / Attached to me / Lingering / Lingering.”

As Jay describes, “Margins” reminds her to “Remember to face the fear, not go around it.”

She explains, “Insecurity is like a shadow, there in the darkness when I am in the spotlight. In fact, this song came together because of a time when my shadow literally scared me, then I thought about my metaphorical shadow… how my shadow is a monster waiting on the sidelines, both haunting and strangely comforting, because it’s all I’ve known. Only when I acknowledge the monster, face the fear, move through and not around it, can I start to find who I really am.”

In that vein, the accompanying video personifies the “monster in the margins” as a glowing green creature, one that appears threatening in the shadows, but is actually rather adorable when brought into the light. Jay explains, “The ‘Margins’ video brings the shadow to life as a quirky monster, showing the evolution from fear of anxieties and insecurities to acceptance. The video starts spooky with a surprising plot twist that quickly becomes playful and brings lightness to an otherwise heavy topic. It was filmed in one night in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York with a small, insanely talented crew and a DIY monster costume reminiscent of folklore.”

Check out the song and video below. MNEMONICS is out everywhere now. Stream the album here.