Anjimile shares his new single, ‘Father’, the latest from his upcoming album, The King, out September 8th. Earlier this year he shared title track ‘The King’, accompanied by a lyric visualiser inspired by the work of Daniela Yohannes, the artist behind the cover art.
‘Father’, with its gentle thrumming, recalls 2020 debut album Giver Taker’s soft, stirring folk. Anjimile needs little more than his voice and a guitar, played by Brad Allen Williams, to draw forth deep, stirring emotions, the kind of feelings dedicated to a loving and supportive parent.
“I wrote this song with my parents in mind as a sort of gesture of appreciation and love for everything they did to try and support me before, during, and after I went to rehab and got sober in early 2016,” Anjimile shares. “Thanks, Mom and Dad.”
“If Giver Taker was an album of prayers, The King is an album of curses.” In his second album, Anjimile continues exploring what it means to be a Black trans person in America. The brutally honest reflection of 2020’s deadly summer is less reminiscent of the pink cloud of early sobriety and more rooted in the reality of seeing brutality with clear eyes. Drawing from influences ranging from religion, Phillip Glass, and lived experiences, the album is a grand step forward for Anjimile.
Nearly every sound you hear on The King comes from two instruments: an acoustic guitar and Anjimile’s own voice. Other than a few beautiful contributions from Justine Bowe, Brad Allen Williams, Sam Gendel, and James Krivchenia (Big Thief), the album is the result of a year in LA working intimately with Grammy and Juno winner Shawn Everett.
Praise for ‘The King’:
“A bold, spiralling slice of soulful noise, offering pop at its most abstract yet still tethered to sumptuous melody… an extraordinary return.” – Clash
“The inventive nature of Anjimile is really fascinating … and this is another level.” – NPR Music
“There’s always been power afforded by watching and waiting: Now, on ‘The King,’ Anjimile finally steps to the throne and speaks.” – Pitchfork
“A dramatic, unsettling, yet grand track based around meticulously crafted choral arrangements, thumping percussion, and a striking riff that sounds like an uncanny harpsichord.” – Rolling Stone
“Progresses from a complex, wordless chorale into a keyboard arpeggio whirlwind.” – The New York Times
ABOUT ANJIMILE
Anjimile has been hustling for over a decade in the indie music scene, first hitting the stage in Boston while he attended Northeastern University as a music industry student. Anjimile recorded several EPs and albums on their own, and their star rose when their 2018 NPR Tiny Desk Concert contest entry was deemed the best out of Boston. In 2019 he recorded Giver Taker, a collection of songs written while getting sober in Florida. Giver Taker was critically adored – Rolling Stone Magazine deemed it one of the best 50 albums of 2020. Since Giver Taker’s release, Anjimile tested new material on the road while opening for artists like Jose Gonzalez, Tune-Yards, and Hurray for the Riff Raff. A collection of covers, Reunion (2021), featured renditions by Jay Som, Sasami, and Lomelda. His newest, The King, is the result of decades of hustling, centuries of survival, and one artist’s honesty and bravery.
About The Album Artwork
Daniela Yohannes lives and works in Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean. Her work reflects upon the racialised movement and conditional belonging of African diaspora, using her own Ethiopian-Eritrean heritage as a lens.
Anjimile – The King
Tracklist
1. The King
2. Mother
3. Anybody
4. Genesis
5. Animal
6. Father
7. Harley
8. Black Hole
9. I Pray
10. The Right
ANJIMILE ONLINE
Bandcamp: anjimile.bandcamp.com
Twitter: @anjimile
Facebook & Instagram: @anjimilemusic
