Tag: Anna Smyrk

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Anna Smyrk Releases Anti-New Year Single, “January Makes Me Sad”

There are plenty of songs about holiday cheer, but not everyone is buzzing with excitement about the festive season. If the thought of the new year ahead makes you feel melancholy, Anna Smyrk’s poignant new single “January Makes Me Sad” is for you. She recorded the track in Nashville with producers Jake Finch and Collin Pastore, known for their work with boygenius and Lucy Dacus. I can definitely hear their influence here, although it’s still got that recognisable Anna stamp.

“This is a song about the pressure that comes with the start of a new year,” Anna explained. “We have this culture of resolutions and renewal buzzing around in January and I always get sucked into it, thinking that this year I’m going to reinvent myself into a shiny new person. But inevitably the weeks go by and I’m still the same as I was last year.”

Anna should shake off the blues just in time for her first US tour in February. If you’re Stateside, here are all the dates you need:

1 February 2024 – Funk N Waffles, Syracuse
3 February 2024 – One Broadway Collaborative, Lawrence
4 February 2024 – Brick Hill House Concerts, Orleans
9 February 2024 – The Drum Roll, Rochester
10 February 2024 – Abilene, Rochester
11 February 2024 – Pittsburgh Winery, Pittsburgh
12 February 2024 – The Sharon Apollo Maennerchor Club, Sharon
13 February 2024 – The Treelawn Social, Cleveland
14 February 2024 – Grounds for Thought, Bowling Green
15 February 2024 – Natalie’s, Columbus
16 February 2024 – Hirth Happenings, Maineville
18 February 2024 – Bad Branch House Concerts, Whiteburge
21-25 February 2024 – Folk Alliance International Official Showcase, Kansas City

Photo credit: Jeff Andersen Jnr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“The Runner” by Anna Smyrk Puts a Spring in My Step

Anna Smyrk’s new single is one for all the commitment-phobes out there. If your flight or fight instinct kicks in when relationships get real, “The Runner” will strike a chord with you. Thankfully the story has a happy ending, with Anna overcoming her natural urge for the right person.

Anna says it’s “a song about trying to overcome a fear of letting people get close, that fight or flight instinct that can lead to self-sabotaging a relationship. So it’s a deep self-examination, but I hope it’s also a bit of a banger. We tried to go for a feel-good vibe that makes you want to jump around, or maybe even go for a jog yourself.”

Like the best relationships, Anna said this song came together easily even though she hadn’t worked with producers Jake Finch and Collin Pastore before.

“Everything came together really quickly on this one. The producers and I just clicked as soon as I walked into the studio and a few hours later we had the track,” she explained.

Anna will support Birds of Tokyo at Sip & Savour Lake Macquarie in Speers Point Park (Awabakal Country) on Saturday, April 1.

Image used with permission from This Much Talent; credit: Jeff Andersen Jnr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Anna Smyrk Gets Real With “I Don’t Want to Meet Your Mother”

Society might try to sell us on forever love, but most of us go through a few relationships that are destined to burn out. Anna Smyrk gets honest about that with her latest single “I Don’t Want to Meet Your Mother.” With its refreshingly honest lyrics and chunky guitar chords, it’s a nice change of pace.

“I wrote this song thinking back to my first relationships,” Anna recalled. “I grew up in a small town but I had all these big dreams. I didn’t want to get tied down to any one person or place. So I always kept a wall up, I didn’t want to accidentally find myself in too deep to get out.”

She had a whole lot of fun recording the track in Nashville with producers Jake Finch and Collin Pastore (Lucy Dacus).

“There’s a part in this song where me and the producers are all just shouting ‘NO!” at the top of our lungs, like a bunch of cranky toddlers. It was probably my favourite studio moment, even though I kind of lost my voice after that.”

Anna has some big shows appearances coming up, including Newstead Live which kicks off today.

20-23 January 2023 – Newstead Live, Jaara Jaara Country/Newstead
19 February 2023 – Brunswick Artists Bar, Bulleke-bek/Brunswick (FREE 4 pm show)
25 February 2023 – Tanswells Hotel, Baarmutha/Beechworth
10-13 March 2023 – Port Fairy Folk Festival, Dhauwurd Wurrung Country/Port Fairy

Image used with permission from This Much Talent; credit: Jeff Anderson Jnr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“The Hour Between Us” – Anna Smyrk

A quick scan of my blog revealed I’ve followed Anna Smyrk’s career since 2013. She’s achieved so much in that time, moving from her home in regional Victoria to far-flung places including Cambodia, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands, and recently serving as a consultant for the World Health Organization. Despite all the changes in her life, music has been a constant. After being based in Papua New Guinea assisting with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, she’s back on home soil for the release of her third EP, The Hour Between Us, which I honestly believe is her best yet.

It’s a timely release which Anna describes as “a record about all the things that keep us apart and all the things that bring us together.” That content is so poignant right now as we all come back together and adjust to a new kind of normal. Anna’s always had a knack for songwriting and it’s beautifully realised here. Her sound has evolved though into one more confident and edgy. “Song from the 36th Floor” shows us the gentle folk balladeer is still in there, but new elements of rock and indie pop give most of the tracks a bolder sound.

I was on board from the release of the opening track “Human Condition” a few months ago, and I’m thrilled to hear this EP features more songs in that vein. There’s a poppier vibe to the next track “You Break It, You Bought It” one of three songs about long-distance love on this EP. With “Song from the 36th Floor” and the current single “Daylight Saving,” they beautifully capture the longing, pain, and uncertainty that often accompanies loving someone who you’re frequently separated from. As someone who married a guy on the other side of the world, they really resonate with me. Many of the songs plumb painful content, as you might expect for an EP featuring songs developed during the pandemic, but Anna leaves us with hope. The final track “Wallace Street” is a heart-warming ballad about finding love within the crumbling walls of a Melbourne share house.

The Hour Between Us really reflects the world right now, but I think it’ll be one of those recordings I return to long after the pandemic feels fresh. I’ve always loved Anna’s music, but she’s taken her sound to another level with this release. The Hour Between Us is out now.

Image used with permission from This Much Talent; credit: Giulia McGauran

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Anna Smyrk Rocks Out With “Human Condition”

I’m used to Anna Smyrk creating sweet folky ditties, but she’s embracing her inner rock chick with her new single “Human Condition.” There’s an appealing edge to this track which came out of the Melbourne lockdowns. The perfect pandemic anthem, it explores the way we connect, or don’t connect, in the modern age.

“The song is like a mash-up of experiences that me or my friends have been in. Seeing an old friend for the first time in a while and being shocked by how much they’re struggling, someone picking at their skin until it bleeds, someone presenting a beautiful life online while they’re actually being crushed by loneliness – these are all examples taken from real life,” she admitted.

“Human Condition” gives us our first taste of Anna’s forthcoming third EP. Hear a little more music from that release and her back catalogue at the following single launch shows:

29 May 2021 – Red Hill Hotel, Chewton (FREE 2 pm)
4 June 2021 – The Retreat Hotel, Melbourne (7:30 pm)
11 June 2021 – Handle Bar, Bendigo (FREE 8pm)
13 June 2021 – Tanswell’s Commercial Hotel, Beechworth

Image used with permission from This Much Talent; credit: Giulia McGauran

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Anna Smyrk Releases Stunning New Single, “Home”

Anna Smyrk echoes the sentiments of so many people with wanderlust in her latest song “Home.”

It’s a moving exploration of our personal conceptions of home set against the backdrop of the Solomon Islands, where she lived for two and a half years. During her time abroad she observed the strong connection many of the locals felt to the land, despite the impact of climate change. This connection was in stark contrast to the nomadic existence she’d come to enjoy so far from her home rural Victoria.

“Home” comes from Anna’s sophomore EP, which features more tales of her time abroad. Hear more songs from that upcoming release at the following shows.

19 July 2019 – Oscar’s Alehouse, Belgrave
21 July 2019 – Tramway Hotel, Fitzroy

Image used with permission from Anna Smyrk

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Anna Smyrk Brings Island Adventures to Life With “Benjamin”

After growing up on a Victorian lavender farm, Anna Smyrk has spread her wings in recent years, making her home in far-flung parts of the world including Cambodia, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands. Her time in the Solomons inspired her latest song “Benjamin,” a folky fish-out-of-water tale about finding your peace far from home.

Anna recorded the track in a Central Victorian farmhouse with a host of old friends on mandolin, double bass, banjo, dobro, and her sister on backing vocals.

“It was definitely a family affair,” says Anna. “I just had a couple of weeks back home, so I pulled together friends that I’ve played with for years. It made the recording process really comfortable.”

“Benjamin” is the first track lifted from Anna’s sophomore EP, which tells more tales of her time spent abroad. It’s due for release in October, but you can hear a sneak peek at the shows she’s playing along the East Coast. Catch her at the following venues in the coming weeks.

24 April 2019 – Red Bar, Sydney
25-28 April 2019 – St Albans Folk Festival, St Albans
1 May 2019 – Scullion Sessions, The Stag & Hunter Hotel, Newcastle
5 May 2019 – The Folk Studio, Armidale
7 May 2019 – Cambus Wallace, Gold Coast
8 May 2019 – Can You Keep a Secret?, Brisbane
9 May 2019 – City Sounds, Brisbane
10 May 2019 – Dusty Attic, Lismore
14 June 2019 – Merri Creek Tavern, Melbourne

Image used with permission from Anna Smyrk

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Song of the Silver-Tongued Magpie” – Anna Smyrk

I’ve been sitting on Anna Smyrk’s Song of the Silver-Tongued Magpie EP for some time. By the time listening to it reached the top of my to-do list Prince passed away, and I just wasn’t ready to hear to anything but his back catalogue. However on seeing that it’s released today, I thought I owed it to Anna to give it a spin. I’m not sure I could have found a more different recording to listen to. Its raw, folky blues numbers are a world away from the deeply-layered funk and soul songs I’ve been spinning. That’s a good thing though.

The first two tracks, “Barefoot Shuffle” and “House of Straw,” reminded me of the raw, organic power of music delivered simply, without a big studio budget. These songs were apparently recorded in the old Victorian farmhouse where Anna grew up. There’s a similar haunting quality about the tracks. Bare-bones music like this leaves nowhere to hide, and that exposure makes the songs so striking. The lilting piano melody of “Oh, the Wind” is like a big warm hug. Even though there’s a destructive force in the wind, its story is told with such irresistible tenderness. “The Murder of Alan Beyne” stopped me in my tracks. What quiet power a song gets when it’s anchored by a haunting voice and a compelling story. The harmonic layered vocals of the closing track, “Backyard Dawn” are so angelic. I love the sounds of magpies at the end of the track, a familiar sound heard in so many Aussie backyards. It ties back to the EP’s title in the most beautiful way.

While Anna’s musicianship is at the heart of Song of the Silver-Tongued Magpie, I’d be remiss not to mention Dan Musil on dobro guitar and Jimmy Power on banjo. These guys have played with Anna for years and it shows. You can hear how comfortable all the players feel together as they create these gorgeous songs.

Anna actually recorded Song of the Silver-Tongued Magpie a year ago but she postponed plans to release it when she was offered work with a Cambodian non-profit using music to help the country’s disadvantaged people. She’s back home for just two months before she commences more charity work in the Solomon Islands. During that time she’ll play just one show, at The Toff in Town on May 19 in Melbourne to support the EP’s release.

Image used with permission from Anna Smyrk