One of the most fiercely singular artists of the last two decades, the personal journey taken by Anohni has been largely private, with fragments of the transgender musician’s story revealed in her songs. Her musical journey has been more openly astonishing; that one-of-a-kind voice illuminating songs of vulnerability, injustice and defiant hope against the odds.
Her sixth album, and her first since 2016′s Hopelessness, sees her unite with the band that backed her until she struck out solo in 2015, albeit with several new members.
Written in collaboration with band member and producer Jimmy Hogarth, her first album in seven years sees Anohni tread a more soulful path than before, from the graceful quiver of opener It Must Change to the Muscle Shoals-style shuck of guitar on Can’t and Rest, while the sumptuous strings of Why Am I Alive Now make it a highlight.
Anohni’s lyric sheet is at odds with the often celebratory music, though, with songs like Can’t – ”I don’t want you to be dead” – reflecting trauma and pain through her unique prism.
A New Zealander in Dublin: ‘It feels like people work to live here as opposed to living to work’
Family fallouts: ‘I can’t describe the heartache of not having a relationship with my sister’
Zach Bryan in Dublin review: Gen Z’s Garth Brooks puts on a charming – and lengthy – show
How the death of an ‘old boy from Ireland’ in London-Irish suburb sparked a misguided viral appeal
Sliver of Ice, written after one of her last conversations with Lou Reed before his death, is intense; the atonal squall of Go Ahead and the epic Purple Rain-esque outro of Scapegoat are jolting amid the soft elegies of There Wasn’t Enough and You Be Free.
There is much to admire on this ambitious and important album – but it is not always an enjoyable listen.
