With Anchoress the chaos has found somewhere to catch. Originally formed in 2010 their newest album sees the band reaching technical and creative heights. Melody and instrumental prowess reign supreme on their fourth studio album without losing the relatability and raw energy they’re known for. Released on Early Onset Records and produced by Jesse Gander (Japandroids, White Lung) Stay Positive is the new bible for grown up punks everywhere. Slide guitar, synths and sing-along choruses dot the album like empty PBR cans across your divorced friend’s bachelor pad. The addition of Phil Jones on guitar (joining Ricky Castanedo - bass, Keenan Federico - guitar, Rob Hoover - vocals and Chris Lennox-Aasen - drums) marks the band’s ascent into a more mature, fully realized sound.
The album’s lead single, "Hydrodynamic", feels like a hungover 2pm brawl with yourself. The starting click of a tape player pulls you, willing and able, towards a cyclical purgatory of anthemic yell along lyrics. It’s a song about being stuck and trying to find a way out; or, at the very least, stay above water. More than anything, though, it is a song about surviving, and embracing, the chaos around you. "Psychobabble", the second single, greets you with a tension filled intro cut through with a riff that sounds like someone gave Talking Heads a distortion pedal. Hoover sneers the lyrics like they owe him money. Anticipation builds and breaks with traded off bass lines and shouted vocals- leaving you wanting more.
The opening instrumental title track "Stay Positive" exudes a melancholy nostalgia on first listen. Tight drums and a syrupy bassline resonate with echoing guitars. This is the sound of a band who knows what it’s like to get knocked down and jump right back up- band aids in place. This is the sound of a band trying. Success doesn’t feel like a crime on the painfully honest "Anxious Hum" which celebrates small victories in the face of crushing anxiety. "Peace Lines" is anything but. A full frontal assault of gravel dredged vocals and guitar riffs carrying an almost military like precision- this anthemic battle cry is an instant hit of independence.
Anchoress’ new album may sound more mature but they haven’t left their roots behind. "Middle Management at the Money Factory" scratches every ‘no war but class war’ itch you want it to. A no nonsense punk dirge with a refreshingly clean lead guitar line that will have you digging your Squire Stratocaster and Che Guevara t-shirt out of your closet (as Hoover says 'that’s just high value living my dude'). If you’re here for vibes only check out "An Old Wolf". Synths and slide guitar pan across your headphones joined by a growling rhythm riff part way through; this song reminds you Anchoress have paid their dues in the music scene. They’re the real deal. "Canadian Pastoral" is a reprieve from the heavy hitters before; moving lightly from kick drum to piano to minor key melody. The instrumental track leads you into the album’s previously discussed back to back singles. Lennox-Aasen might hit as hard as any post-hardcore drummer you’ve heard but his technical style blows most other contemporaries out of the water as exemplified in closing track "The Futurist". Opening with a haunting Spanish style guitar melody which gives way to gentle vocals mourning an unattainable future it then explodes into resentful howls and a wall of guitars.
The album is a cohesive vision of effort despite setbacks and hope despite, well, the last two years. There’s a buoyancy that runs through the album without dismissing the pain it often takes to reach happiness. It is a manifesto of progress with the music chops to support it. With chaos as melody this is punk all grown up.
