Anna Burch: Quit The Curse (2018)

Hat tip to my son Josh, who turned me on to this great album last year, as it had somehow flown below my radar screen.  (We don't always jibe on music, but after 22 years of me foisting my music on him, he's got a pretty good read on what I'll like.)

Anna Burch is among the new crew of earnest, edgy female post-Liz Phair singer-songwriters, and while artists like Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy got a lot of ink last year, this is the album I've spent the most time with.  This is one of those records that grows on you.  On first spin, I thought, yeah, pretty good, I'll file it along with those others... and by the second time through I couldn't put it down.

She's got a great way with a hook, and even the more stripped down, downtempo tunes seem to pivot into an ear-candy chorus that will haunt you the rest of the day.  While most of this fits comfortably into that gentle indie-folky vibe, Burch weaves in a little surf music guitar here and there, and adds a bit of buzz just when you need it.  All with her haunting voice, a throwback to the classic 60s romantic pop singers of yore.

Take "In Your Dreams," a perfect example of a slow-building ballad, a wistful tropical sound, breaking out into a gut-wrenching chorus.  Or opener "2 Cool 2 Care," almost like a quiet Elephant 6 indie pop track, and then she hits those high notes in the chorus and damn, I just lose it.

Check this one out.  You'll dig it.

Here's the video for "2 Cool 2 Care":

And how about "Tea-Soaked Letter"?

Buy it on Amazon.