There is an anxiety that comes with putting out music under your own name. People will immediately associate it with you, for better or worse. I would argue something against that, though. The courage it takes to overcome that anxiety is a much greater force than any potential negative response.
"Somersault" is the first single from Abe Anderson's forthcoming EP, Slacker. Over the course of the last two years, Anderson (best known as the bassist in niiice.) has been tinkering with these songs. At long last, they are about to be put into the world, and we are so excited to premiere "Somersault."
The song starts heavily enough with a thudding riff not dissimilar to the stoner punk favored by niiice. Anderson's voice comes in somewhat reluctantly, admitting that he "don't ever want to feel this way." Before he even begins to explain why, there is an understanding of the lyrics' personal nature. Whether it's Anderson himself talking or a semi-fictional narrator, the truthfulness becomes apparent.
Despite the plainspoken poetry of the song, it isn't until just over a minute in that the song becomes Anderson's. Just after the second refrain, the bass and drums vanish and are replaced with hand-claps and harmonies one would expect to find in a Fleet Foxes tune. They appear effortlessly and evoke the sun crawling over a lake at dawn. It is tiny moments of unexpected beauty like these that anchor Anderson's songwriting. Details like these rise up, "out of [his] head and into the sky."
It would seem like such a subtly complex song would have been performed by a band, but that's where you'd be wrong. "Somersault" (and the whole EP) was a one-man venture, with all instrumentation, vocals, and production done by Anderson. To battle the inherent apprehension of publicly creating art, he went all-in. Suffice to say, it paid off.
Stream "Somersault" below. Slacker will be out in full on August 23, 2019 via Brace Cove Records.
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