Anna Shoemaker’s brand of brutally honest, alternative pop has been one of my favourite finds over the past few months. Change My Mind buzzed and shimmered with a dreamy west coast grunge feel, Everything Is Fine popped with anarchic energy, and Mariah exploded, an angry-and-sweary epic pop dynasty. Shoemaker feels like the Venn diagram intersection of Taylor Swift and Soccer Mommy, built to steal my heart.
Today sees Shoemaker unveil her debut album, Everything Is Fine (I’m Only On Fire), and alongside it comes another new song, Until I Die. Characteristically nihilistic, Until I Die sits somewhere between the sound of Change My Mind and Everything Is Fine. Less overtly polished than anything Anna has released recently, it grinds along with a vacant swagger. Toms and a kick drum punch out an assertive, dark backing to a frankly pissed-off sounding vocal, before launching into a disorientated chorus that swallows you up in a fog of guitar and distortion.
The range demonstrated over the releases that have led up to Anna Shoemaker’s debut album is impressive. I can’t wait to hear more.