Much of Anjimile’s debut album Giver/Taker is about variations of loss, written during a time of personal rehabilitation and reprioritization. Interestingly, the album never gets weighed down by the seriousness of its lyrics, with many of the songs instead taking on a more danceable vibe featuring hip-hop beats and funky bass lines. Anjimile’s songwriting process is very freewheeling, with most of the melodies popping into their head on a whim that forces them to pick up their phone and record a voice memo to reference later.
After receiving the Live Arts Boston Grant to fund the recording of Giver/Taker, Anjimile and their collaborators spent a few days at a time over the course of eleven months crafting and re-working the effort. The fragmented recording process allowed them the space and reflection to decide what each song really did and didn’t need, and to focus in on creating a product of which they could all be proud.
The result is an album that sounds quite unlike anything else in recent memory, channeling elements of Sufjan Stevens and more into something unique and truly special. Ahead of the new album, I chatted with Anjimile on Instagram Live to talk about the songwriting process, our mutual lack of knowledge of musical theory, and Elizabeth Holmes, as part of our Fall Music Preview. Check out the full interview below.
Giver/Taker is out September 18 on Father/Daughter Records. Pre-order it here.
