LA-based singer/songwriter Annahstasia delves into her intimate achingly weak and fantastically uncooked ‘Revival’ EP, a confessional and cathartic people document of introspection and internal reckoning, empowerment and therapeutic.

Stream: “Midas” – Annahstasia

Achingly weak and fantastically uncooked, Annahstasia’s new EP is as intimate as they arrive.

A confessional and cathartic document of introspection and internal reckoning, empowerment and therapeutic, Revival is a delicate big of soul-stirring people. It’s the music of a weary, however hopeful soul; one which’s gone by the wringer greater than as soon as, and has come out every time stronger than earlier than.

It’s the music of an artist snug in herself and discovering her voice.

If had a greenback for every time
You stepped on my again
Simply to achieve the opposite aspect
I’d be richer than Midas
Heavier than gold
And taller than a titan

If I had a ray of sunshine
for every time
I needed to fear about my life
I’d have a star within the daytime.
I’d have peace of thoughts.

– “Midas,” Annahstasia

Launched April 27, 2023 through Sacred Bull Information, Revival is a hauntingly stunning and tender tempest. Annahstasia Enuke’s newest EP is not at all her first document, nevertheless it is a rebirth of types for the LA-based Nigerian-American singer/songwriter – and one which goes properly past the title alone.

“Revival was born from a private reset,” Enuke tells Atwood Journal. “I had the chance of time in the course of the lockdown to reassess what really felt good for me in making music. The component that all the time felt most safe and grounded was after I was holding a guitar, producing my very own sound. Throughout that point I found Terry Callier’s [1968 debut album] The New People Sound of Terry Callier, and its easy no-frills manufacturing impressed me to create the people album I had all the time craved. Largely for myself, as a result of I used to be therapeutic a musical a part of me that had lengthy been uncared for.”

Revival arrives 4 lengthy years after Annahstasia’s ten-track debut Sacred Bull, a collaborative album she made with Jay Cooper that’s, by and enormous, not obtainable on-line (outdoors of SoundCloud). Melding R&B with trip-hop and light-weight digital influences, that document stays a transferring pay attention, offered you will discover it – however after appreciable soul-searching and reflection, Annahstasia discovered a brand new voice: One rooted within the people world.

“Like I discussed, I used to be impressed by Terry’s document, particularly the tune ‘900 miles,’” she notes. “The instrumentation is tremendous easy with guitar and upright bass and vocals. Not a lot else, and recorded reside in one-takes. That was my preliminary method, not drums and solely reside takes. As we labored on the songs although, we allow them to come into the world how they noticed match, I used to be solely loosely dedicated to that degree of austerity. Because the EP progresses the instrumental parts increase, ending in evergreen, which is sort of full and triumphant.”

“This mission is the bottom parts of me,” she provides. “It’s the groundwork from which I hope to construct and increase upon. There isn’t any posturing right here or character to play. So it’s my musical model of “Howdy.” Finest to go away the music to talk for me.”

I would like the liberty of a boy unchained
The liberty to run round with my hair untamed
Stark because the night time
No concern of hallowed floor
Or the silence in between

The liberty
Freedom of a person
To take as he calls for
To take what he can

Enuke describes her EP as grounding, nonetheless, and timeless.

“It’s technically a self-titled EP, as a result of my title means resurrection in Greek,” she says. “It was by pure serendipity that the studio we recorded in was known as Revival Studios. It felt extra becoming and similar to youngsters generally title themselves so did this EP.”

From finish to finish, Revival is an emotionally highly effective, poetic, and soothing 19-minute journey into Annahstasia’s innermost depths. Opening monitor “Midas” units the tone with a smooth acoustic guitar and sleek strings gliding alongside Enuke’s hushed voice – she sings simply louder than a whisper, but the affect feels bigger than life. “I needed to fear about my life, I’d have a star within the daytime… I’d have peace of thoughts,” she declares. “If I anticipate all of it to face nonetheless, I’d be ready, I’d be ready, I’d be ready for days till…“

Really, every of Revival‘s 5 tracks are particular highlights in their very own proper. “Whereas You Have been Sleeping” that includes fellow singer/songwriter Raveena is a dreamy, spellbinding lullaby of star-crossed love. “Energy,” one of many document’s oldest songs (and one of many closest to Annahstasia’s coronary heart), is a uncooked, unfiltered, and brutally trustworthy reckoning with the self. It’s additionally residence to Annahstasia’s favourite lyrics: “And I swear the bottom quakes my title, however I’m only one girl, attempting to hold that weight.”

She spills her coronary heart singing sizzling on the mic:

Venus Insomniac
You drank your espresso you favored it black
Like all the opposite women
Who sway their hips with the methods of the world
Will they ever come again?
Will they ever come again…

Energy falls from my hand nowadays
Folks take it in mysterious methods
And I swear the bottom quakes my title
However I’m only one girl,
attempting to hold that weight
Tryna carry that weight

– “Energy,” Annahstasia

“Untamed” aches with a way of vulnerability that’s mirrored as a lot in Annahstasia’s lyrics, as in her more and more turbulent music. “Millionaire” is a wide ranging anthem – the one one on the EP – and an arresting critique of how Black our bodies, Black id, Black tradition, and Black life are handled in society.

“Finally milking us like cows of tradition in our life and in our demise,” Enuke places it. Her lyrics are notably gut-wrenching:

I used to be strolling down sundown blvd
After I noticed my face up on a billboard
Saying i could make it if I strive
Saying i could make it if I die.

They stated, “Child, don’t you understand
Blacks’ value one million, one million nowadays.”
And I’m wondering… the place that cash goes…
They stated, “Child don’t you understand!
Blacks value one million nowadays!”

– “Millionaire,” Annahstasia

The EP concludes with “Evergreen,” a brooding, contemplative, and transformative tune that grows from a delicate whisper right into a radiant, spirited revelry. After the depth of the document’s first eighteen minutes, these last ninety seconds are a heat, refreshing respite – a burst of emotional and sonic sunshine after a very long time spent reflecting in the dead of night.

“The transition from softness to ferocity is my favourite evolution on the document,” Annahstasia smiles. “I needed to indicate my vary inside this one alone, as a result of the remainder of the EP is sort of smooth; it was a reminder to listeners that I’ve a extra rock inclined vocal vary. ‘Evergreen’ as a tune is the car for that journey.”

Annahstasia doesn’t have a single favourite monitor on the EP; how may she? “Each single tune is a favourite,” she asserts. “There’s not fluff on this document or tune that I like greater than the others. The completion of the work is the spotlight.”

That work is one value experiencing, taking to coronary heart, reflecting on, and celebrating.

Revival‘s songs are as stunning as they’re we inspiring, and as private to Annahstasia as they’re relatable to our shared, particular person human expertise.

“I hope this document helps individuals by occasions of life when the whole lot feels harsh and too quick, unrelenting,” Enuke shares. “I hope this document serves as an area they’ll go to be sluggish and smooth and introspective in a secure means. That’s what it gave me and nonetheless offers me each time I sit right down to hearken to the entire thing entrance to again.”

Expertise the complete document through our beneath stream, and peek inside Annahstasia’s Revival EP with Atwood Journal as she goes track-by-track by the music and lyrics of her soul-stirring launch!

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Stream: ‘Revival’ EP – Annahstasia

:: Inside Revival ::

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Midas

The tune to encourage the document! I wrote Midas and set my thoughts on finishing this people mission. Although some songs on the document are a few years older, Midas was the lacking piece. The tune itself is me telling myself to stand up and simply strive yet another time.

Whereas You Have been Sleeping

It’s a star-crossed love story. It concerning the fantasy that love creates clashing with the fact of the world we reside in. Raveena added fantastically to the dream of it. She grew to become the lover within the narrative by no means wanting to go away the area of play. I reminisce on the sweetness of that point. Of all of the potential and prospects in some unspecified time in the future in a future the place it didn’t work out.

Energy

This is without doubt one of the oldest songs on the mission. It has had many iterations through the years. So I left it as much as my collaborators to take It to a brand new place and trusted them and the method. We got here to one thing very vital. It felt just like the resting place of this tune. I used to be glad we caught it in a document.

Untamed

Written in the identical week as “Midas,” this was impressed by the frustration of not feeling secure in my freedom. It was the primary introduction of drums on the document and it felt wanted to match the depth of the tune. It goes a bit feral reside.

Millionaire

Satirical and written throughout the canon of laurel canyon people. I needed to make use of this medium to insert an allegory for the methods our world commodifies all elements of black tradition, however not often takes care of black individuals. Finally milking us like cows of tradition in our life and in our demise. I introduced it as an anthem, and in my thoughts the visible on the finish is a marching band shouting it in unison collectively as we block site visitors and disturb the peace.

Evergreen

This tune is as outdated as “Energy” and has been carried out in lots of iterations all through these years. The transition from softness to ferocity is my favourite evolution on the document. I needed to indicate my vary inside this one alone, as a result of the remainder of the EP is sort of smooth, it was a reminder to listeners that I’ve a extra rock inclined vocal vary. “Evergreen” as a tune is the car for that journey.

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