2. August 2025
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Media Review

Amy Macdonald – Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Amy Macdonald - Is This What You've Been Waiting For?

Amy Macdonald - Is This What You've Been Waiting For?
4.8

Rating

 4.8/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very straight and well-told stories
  • The beautiful Amy Macdonald music style

Amy Macdonald is one of these artists you tend to identify with one song only. However, the British singer-songwriter has quite an impressing songbook. Ten tracks have been added to it on 11th July 2025, when Macdonald released her album Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?. Here is my review.

 

Amy Macdonald – About The Artist

Amy Macdonald is a Scottish folk–rock artist, who was born on 25th August 1987 in Bishopbriggs. Her biggest songs were already on her 2007 debut album This Is The Life. The title track was a double platinum in the United Kingdom and a quintuple one in Germany. It was also very successful in other, mostly European markets. Due to this massive success, you tend to forget that Mr Rock & Roll from the same album was quite a success as well.

The album jumped to the top of the charts in many European markets. Especially in Germany and Austria, Macdonald stayed very popular. Her two following albums, A Curious Thing (2010) and Life in a Beautiful Light (2012) topped the chart in these countries. However, she had very good placements in other markets as well. Amy Macdonald’s most recent album release, The Human Demands, has been released in October 2020.

 

Amy Macdonald – Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For? – Track by Track

The ten song album lasts 36 minutes.

1. Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?

I featured the title track of the album in my 25th April 2025 Songs of the Week. The song sounds so much like Amy Macdonald to me. Folk music with a good melody and a good catch – she simply knows how to do that kind of music right. Fun fact: Amy was inspired by the opening of The Sphere in Las Vegas when she wrote the track.

2. Trapped

A miserable marriage among her friends finally lead to a divorec – and the song Trapped. The song has a nice sing along quality, even though it deals with struggle and problems. The second song on the album is a bit more rocking and less pop-ish. Nonetheless, it is a really nice

3. Can You Hear Me?

One of the three songs released before the Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For? album is Can You Hear Me? With its very present rhythm, Amy Macdonald leans very much towards pop music in it. A lovely song, which is inspired by the fate of the younger generation, struggling with issues like Covid-19.

4. I’m Done (Games That You Play)

Amy Macdonald is doing her characteristic sound in this song again. The rather fast paced track, which is having so much vibes from the strumming guitar, feels very fluent. Her voice adds this thoughtful and deeper touch. You can’t catch me if I fall, she she states. I just have to sway to the rhythm of I’m Done (Games That You Play).

5. The Hope

In the press kit to the album, Amy states This one is basically about being Scottish. Ultimately, we lose everything we do, but we have a bloody good time! I wrote ‘The Leap of Faith’ in a similar way, back around the time of the Scottish Referendum, which I found really inspiring. With ‘The Hope’, Scotland were playing in the Euros in Germany and the streets were flooded with Scottish fans waving their flags, singing and dancing. It was an absolute riot, everyone was in such good spirits. She turns these thoughts in a lovely track. One of my favorite listens of this record.

6. Forward

The song is about looking Forward even when bad news and things strike your life. The song definitely gets its job done – I smile while listening to the sixth track of Amy Macdonald’s 2025 album.

7. We Survive

After the message of the previous song was And we just keep moving forward, the title of the seventh song feels to kill the mood again. Indeed, the song is spreading a much darker mood. It deals with social issues like a high workload for low pay, but also with self-driven issues like alcoholism during parties. The folk-pop style of the Scottish artist makes the song feel a bit lighter, though.

8. One More Shot

Amy Macdonald praises her long-time fans at One More Shot. The song has a beautiful flow and nicely describes the relationship of an artist and her supporters. I am sure that many of them will love listening to this one.

9. Physical

Physical nicely continues Amy’s thoughts about tour life. In this track, however, she is rather dealing with her view of performing live – and how her attitude to gigs has changed. In the press kit, she states about the song I think it’s funny for my bandmates and my manager who’ve known me as this cocky teenager, sweat dripping off me, not giving a fuck, to now where I can get myself a bit worked up. Another really nice and very personal write.

10. It’s All So Long Ago

The closing track reminds of stories which have been all so long ago. It especially reminds of her drummer Adam, who she doing music with since twenty years. A nice finish of these ten stories.

 

Amy Macdonald – Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For? – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

Amy Macdonald – Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For? – My View

Amy Macdonald has found her niche in music. With Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For? she again underlines that she is a great artist and an amazing storyteller. I really love this release.

Favorite Song: The Hope

 

Amy Macdonald – 2025/26 Tour

After playing some summer festivals, Amy MacDonald kicks off a domestic tour in November 2025. In early 2026, she is touring Europe.

Th 20.11.2025 London (United Kingdom) – Eventim Apollo
Fr 21.11.2025 Wolverhampton – Civic Hall
Sa 22.11.2025 Sheffield – City Hall
Mo 24.11.2025 Newcastle – O2 City Hall
We 26.11.2025 Portsmouth – Guildhall Studio
Th 27.11.2025 Swansea – Arena
Fr 28.11.2025 Bath – The Forum
Su 30.11.2025 Dublin (Ireland) – 3Olympia Theatre
Mo 01.12.2025 Belfast (United Kingdom) – The Telegraph Building
We 03.12.2025 Cambridge – Corn Exchange
Th 04.12.2025 Nottingham – Theatre Royal Concert Hall
Fr 05.12.2025 Manchester – O2 Apollo
Th 11.12.2025 Glasgow – OVO Hydro
Fr 12.12.2025 Glasgow – OVO Hydro
Su 08.02.2026 Munich (Germany) – Zenith
Mo 09.02.2026 Luxembourg (Luxembourg) – Den Atelier
We 11.02.2026 Berlin (Germany) – Tempodrom
Th 12.02.2026 Hamburg – Sporthalle
Fr 13.02.2026 Leipzig – Haus Auensee
Mo 16.02.2026 Vienna (Austria) – Gasometer
Tu 17.02.2026 Milan (Italy) – Fabrique
We 18.02.2026 Zurich (Switzerland) – The Hall
Fr 20.02.2026 Wiesbaden (Germany) – Schlachthof
Sa 21.02.2026 Antwerp (Belgium) – De Roma
Su 22.02.2026 Brussels – Ancienne Belgique
Tu 24.02.2026 Utrecht (Netherlands) – TivoliVredenburg
We 25.02.2026 Groningen – De Oosterpoort
Th 26.02.2026 Cologne (Germany) – Palladium

 

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