Anavae Release Debut Album “45”
By Cris Rulli
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
On Friday, November 1st, London based alternative rock duo Anavae released their debut album 45, and things are looking and sounding amazing for them. The album follows the release of their two lead singles, “High,” and their most recent, “Not Enough.” The road to this album was not an easy one for the duo, but now that it’s here, there’s no looking back.
The album as a whole is very poetic and displays a lot of dark imagery within the lyrics of the songs. The theme of death and using death as a way to paint pictures of specific emotions for the listeners is a commonality throughout most of the songs on the album. This use of different forms of imagery to paint vivid pictures in the minds of the listeners is also extremely helpful to grasp their attention, especially when relatable topics and scenarios are depicted through the lyrics.
The album begins with a song titled “Afraid.” From the first chord played, the song gives off a creepy vibe which goes along with the title very well. Lyrically, it also gives off the feeling of slowly losing control of your mind and feeling unsafe which adheres to the title quite literally. It is followed by “Human,” which grabs the listener’s attention with the opening lyric, “I want to skin you alive / I want to wear your flesh like a costume,” and then holds their attention with the verses using lyrics like “I wanna be like them, so I’ll take a knife and I’ll try again.” “Skeleton” paints a vivid picture in the mind of the listener due to the descriptive language used. The song has a dark and almost creepy tone to it as well, adding to the overall effect it has on the people listening.
“High” reflects on the feeling we all get when life seems pointless and nothing seems to matter anymore. This song, especially through its lyrics, is able to connect to listeners because, even if it isn’t exactly how the song describes it, everyone has feelings of hopelessness and therefore can relate the song to their own experiences. “Shy Girls” is another song that is relatable to listeners, using lyrics like “Shy girls die alone” to portray the extreme thoughts people experience when they feel like they don’t fit in and are alone.
The halfway point on the album is given to the song titled “Night.” This track is slower than the previous five, and it has a more somber attitude than the rest, all while still having the dark imagery that is a common theme throughout the rest of the album. “Not Enough” is another song that most listeners will be able to relate to as it deals with the feeling of never being enough for someone. “Never Want to Love Again” is a pop-punk ballad that portrays the end of a relationship in which the partners part ways under bad circumstances and the effects it has on them. “Hold On” deals with a similar relationship situation as the previous track. This song is detailing how one of the individuals in the relationship has been wronged by the other and it has caused the end of their relationship. Both “Never Want to Love Again” and “Hold On” deal with negative situations but are musically upbeat and lively songs so there is a largely prominent contrast there.
Like most of the songs on the album, “Dirt” uses dark lyrical imagery to bring across the emotions the song is meant to make the listeners feel. With this track, however, the use of religious imagery is meant to bring a contrast to the darkness as well as to the title itself. “Smile” has a similar contrasting aspect to it as well because from the title, it sounds like it could be a happier song, however, right from the first second of guitar you can tell that it is a heavier song and then when you hear the lyrics, you are able to find the darkness and underlying themes of death as you find in the rest of the album. The album closer is titled “California,” and it is slower and has a sense of nostalgia to it. The song portrays a lot of ideas of running away and being afraid because you aren’t sure what to expect, which is clearly evident in the lyrics “We’re flying away with nowhere to go / I’m so afraid of the unknown.”
Anavae’s debut album is definitely a great way for them to make themselves known in the music world. The duo had a tough time with getting it out there, but in the end, everything aligned and they were back on their way to 45. The duo has credited “Not Enough” with being the most crucial song on the album because it made guitarist Jamie Finch realize that he was meant for music and to not give up on it. This track then lead to ideas for “Skeleton” and “Shy Girls,” which then brought the whole album together.
The future’s looking bright for the alternative-rock duo. 45 is only the start of their career. Make sure to keep an eye out for tour dates near you and stream 45 on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube today. You can also grab yourself a physical copy of the album from their website.