North Carolina based singer-songwriter Anjimile releases ‘Waits For Me’, the second single from his upcoming album You’re Free to Go, due 13 March.
“When I was a little girl, I wanted to be free… When I was a little boy, I wanted to be real.”, he disarmingly reflects on ‘Waits For Me’, a powerful reckoning on childhood identity, as he affirms and soothes his inner child via warm acoustic guitar, glimmering synths and bright percussion.
The new track points towards the album’s intimate focus on self-expression and healing, inspired by Jimi’s own journey. But even in its most searching moments, the record radiates light. Each song holds space for turning pain into something tender, communal, and free.
‘Waits For Me’ follows the luminous lead single ‘Like You Really Mean It’ which overflows with tenderness and vulnerability, and November stand-alone single ‘Auld Lang Syne II’, a tender note-to-self on resilience and hard-fought freedom.
Anjimile – ‘Waits For Me’ Official Visualiser by Jayla Smith
Contrasting the intricacy and complexity of The King, You’re Free to Go unfolds organically under the intuitive direction of producer Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Mavis Staples). The album’s songs bloom naturally, grounded in warm acoustic guitars, subtle synth textures, lush string arrangements, and delicate rhythmic layers. Collaborative efforts with musicians Nathan Stocker (Hippo Campus), Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver), and guest vocalist Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) – a personal hero of Anjimile whose music deeply influenced the album even before his involvement – cultivate an exploratory yet intimate atmosphere, perfectly aligned with Anjimile’s nuanced storytelling.
You’re Free to Go, picks up where The King left off, but with its hands open wide – a central question being: what happens when you let go and let love in?
Crafted over years marked by transformation, the album traces vividly the profound complexities of change – from breakups to new love; deep grief and loss to renewal and rediscovery. “The past two years have been a deeply transitional point in my life,” Anjimile explains. On You’re Free to Go, he learns to trust life again.
Melodically, the album evokes a subtle nostalgia for late-’90s alternative pop, seamlessly blending folk sensibilities into inviting, memorable hooks. Anjimile has notably evolved, adopting a more relaxed and expressive approach to his singing, partly due to his ongoing hormonal therapy – a transformative journey he embraces gladly. This newfound vocal depth amplifies the album’s emotional resonance, allowing him to express himself with greater authenticity.
You’re Free to Go is a portrait of transformation — not as a wound, but as an opening. Richly textured, this collection of songs is an honest reflection of life’s fluctuations. It holds space for contradiction and finds liberation in tenderness. As Anjimile beautifully articulates, the album embodies “breathing into the question,” acknowledging that life’s most profound moments often come without clear answers, but rather exist in the gentle tension of uncertainty and discovery. In every note, Anjimile provides space for each listener to reflect and uncover their own truths, while gently reminding us that freedom isn’t the absence of pain, but the courage to love, to ask, to keep beginning again.
You’re Free to Go will be available from 13 March digitally, on CD and on standard LP (Green). For more information, and to pre-order, head HERE.
Anjimile – You’re Free to Go
13 March 2026
4AD0822
Tracklist
1. You’re Free to Go
2. Rust & Wire
3. Waits For Me
4. Like You Really Mean It
5. Turning Away
6. Exquisite Skeleton
7. The Store
8. Ready or Not
9. Point of View
10. Afarin
11. Destroying You
12. Enough
Praise for Anjimile
“A fully formed, confident voice.” – The Observer
“A celebratory ode to the future is testament to the prowess and deftness of Chithambo’s understanding of life.” – The Line of Best Fit
“An innovative examination of distorted American life.” – Uncut
“The inventive nature of Anjimile is really fascinating.” – NPR Music
“His voice can tenderize your heart as it does on a song like “1978,” but then he’ll turn around and sound positively rakish on ‘Baby No More.’ The glue is a generosity of spirit and fearlessness.” – Rolling Stone
ABOUT ANJIMILE
Anjimile (ann-JIM-uh-lee) Chithambo has forged a distinctive musical path characterised by unflinching introspection and deep honesty. Emerging from Boston’s vibrant indie scene while studying at Northeastern University, Anjimile captivated audiences with earnest songwriting, delicate sonic textures, and performances that felt like prayer and celebration.
Critical acclaim quickly followed; 2020’s Giver Taker, hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the year’s best albums, positioned him as a compelling voice exploring enduring themes of spirituality, identity, and liberation. With The King (2023), Anjimile intensified his examination of Black and trans existence amid personal and societal turbulence, reaffirming his courageous commitment to navigating discomfort as a means of liberation.
ANJIMILE ONLINE
Bandcamp: anjimile.bandcamp.com
Twitter: @anjimile
Facebook & Instagram: @anjimilemusic
