Some of us here at Vanya HQ have been eagerly awaiting the release of the Anchoress’ debut album for a while, feasting on the group’s early tracks “What Comes Around” and “One For Sorrow.” But due to various events that put the project on hold, a release date for a full album remained a mystery… until now. The Anchoress’ debut, Confessions Of A Romance Novelist, will see its official release on January 8 via Kscope.
For those not keeping up, The Anchoress is the latest incarnation of Catherine AD, a Welsh multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer known for her baroque piano pop and recent tours with Simple Minds. The Anchoress also sees the return of former Mansun frontman Paul Draper as Confessions Of A Romance Novelist’s co-producer.
The latest track to premiere from the album is “Popular,” a plucky piano-led track featuring gossipy backing vocals and ruminations on the perils of not quite fitting in. Coining the term “revenge pop,” Confessions Of A Romance Novelist guarantees lyrics that skewer ex-lovers and others who deserve it. There are shades of everyone from Kate Bush to Lana Del Rey in the Anchoress’ sound, with dramatic, sweeping melodies and vocal layering similar to that found on Del Rey’s 2014 release Ultraviolence.
A few lucky fans will get to attend a special acoustic live show and album release party over in the band’s native United Kingdom, but there are no current plans to bring the Anchoress to the States. A follow-up album with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler is already in the works, so maybe they’ll bring this beautiful bit of noise to our shores soon enough.
Above photo by Isabella Charlesworth