ANAMAI
Sallows (Buzz)
Some may know Anna Mayberry for her other band, Toronto heavy-hitters HSY, but her new project could not be further from it.
Working alongside electronic producer and artist David Psutka (Egyptrixx), she brings us into a dark forest of doom and experimental folk.
Mayberry's unique voice is on display from the very start. Opener "Lucia" is a spacious, minimal track where she balances her sweet, folksy timbre with a sinister delivery, singing, "Oh you let me down sometimes" in two-part harmony.
"Altar Coals" could easily be turned into an indie pop anthem, but instead, Mayberry and Psutka give us a twisted pop experiment over the rattle of tambourine and a swirling distorted organ (or guitar?). It is a wonderful mix of Psutka's strange doom-folk production and Mayberry's idiosyncratic melodies.
Unearthly, yet entirely grounded, Sallows is a wonderfully ominous interpretation of folk and cinematic songwriting. For those who go walking after midnight...
Rating: ★★★1/2
