Released today, with physicals via Struggle Town and Never Meant Records, Anna’s Anchor’s debut album Nautical Miles features singles Signal Tower and Hampton. Earlier this week Marty Ryan, the man behind the project and all-round good guy, disclosed new information regarding the digital download: ‘There is one more piece of the puzzle to reveal, despite it taking an awful lot of time, effort and financial burden, I’ll be giving away the full album for FREE download on Bandcamp.
‘The vinyl and CDs will be there to be purchased, which being a collector, I consider both sacred and essential to recoup costs, plus they also come with a bonus track you can’t get anywhere else.
‘All I want from this record and from you is to enjoy it and share it with as many friends as possible, which I ask you to please do.
He also reveals that anyone wishing to purchase a download, via the ‘pay what you want’ option, will see the funds go to Limerick Suicide Watch, saying:’that’s much more important than a crappy chart position and few extra quid, that’s what I have the day job for.#
Discussing the record’s title, Marty states: ‘A nautical mile is a little bit longer than a mile. I find that with everything I do, be it academically, work or music related, I always have to work a little harder to get where I want to.
‘Things generally don’t fall into place for me, I’m a grafter and struggle through, but I generally get there in the end and that’s what Nautical Miles means to me.
And Nautical Milescertainly is befitting for an artist who won’t let simple geography stand in the way of ‘writing and releasing as much music as possible’.A forementioned single Signal Tower saw Marty in his native Ireland, go to as many landmarks as possible in 4 days, filming for 14 hours straight and clocking up 1300 miles, across a total of 200 locations. But his wanderlust doesn’t end there, the album follows 2015 release The Islands, which saw him visit 8 islands in 8 weeks to write 8 tracks.
As if that isn’t enough to send your head spinning, that brings us to the album – laying down Nautical Miles saw Marty spend all of January 2016 criss-crossing the Irish Sea for studio sessions. Recorded in Manchester with producer Bob Cooper, Marty enlisted his pal Brian Scally to lay down drums, before handling all other instrumentation and vocals himself. The fruit of his labour is a soulful amalgam of emo, indie and pop, reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World and Into It. Over It. Romantic and bittersweet in equal measure, AA’s melodies tug at the heartstrings and dig into the brain. He reflects: “In the grand scheme of things, very few bands ever get to release an album. Everyone dreams of doing one, it’s a mountain of a project that takes a certain work ethic, steel and resolve. You only get to release your first album once and it’s an opportunity I’m very lucky to have worked myself into.”
Currently embarking on his first full band tour to commemorate the release, you can see Anna’s Anchor perform Nautical Miles in it’s entirety.
Full AA’s dates are as follows:
Ireland: 23/09/16 Brú Bar – Cork | 24/09/16 The Stormy Teacup – Limerick | 25/09/16 Fibber Magees (Downstairs) – Dublin | 22/10/16 Masons, Londonderry | 23/10/16 McHugh’s Basement, Belfast | 26/10/16 – Debarras (Living Room Sessions), Clonakilty | 29/10/16 – Shank Fest, Dublin |
Mainland UK: 30/09/16 – Opium Rooms – Edinburgh | 01/09/16 – Strugglefest @ Audio, Glasgow | 02/10/16 Pop Records – Sunderland | 03/10/16 Star & Garter – Manchester |04/10/16 Santiagos – Leeds | 05/10/16 TBA – Reading | 06/10/16 Pre Bar – Southampton |07/10/16 Veg Bar – London | 08/10/16 The Undertone – Cardiff
Europe: 30/10/16 – Monarch, Berlin, Germany
Nautical Miles Track Listing: 1. Hampton | 2. Do You | 3. Big Sky State | 4. House Is Full | 5. Intralude | 6. Signal Tower | 7. Everyone’s Deserving | 8. No Place For A Queen | 9. Discussion | 10. Conclusion