Anna B Savage’s third studio album, following A Common Turn (2021) and inFLUX (2023), continues to mark her assured presence as a reflective and sharp-witted songwriter. Her lyrical and sonic offerings, bedded in dream-pop and chamber-folk, present romance through unconventional lenses, where nature, the Celtic tongue and the written word convey far more than a mere narrative between two individuals. You & i are Earth is out today on City Slang.
Indeed, in these transient times for climate and biodiversity, the soundscapes on You & i are Earth, which accompany Savage’s vocals and instruments are better sampled in an open space than a darkened studio, and these sonic spaces welcome the listener. While Savage sings “I want to be alone, I’m happy on my own” on the title track to her previous release in-Flux, track 2 ‘Lighthouse’ presents anything but a lonely presence, as she delivers an ode to poetic influence Seamus Heaney.
Indeed, Heaney’s native Ireland carries a pertinent presence, describing the landscape of the northwest in ‘Donegal’, and ‘Mo Cheol Thú’ muses upon the absence of a direct Irish translation for “I love you”, and yet delivers an ode to a loved one that subtly tramples over the lyrical tropes of romantic pop songs.
If there appears any remote threat of Savage wearing her heart on her sleeve, closing track ‘The Rest of Our Lives’ presents a pensive and patient approach to long-distance relationships.
“We have the best of both worlds, and the rest of our lives”
offers a hopeful glimpse at how love can sustainably triumph, whether that of person, place or poetry. In these uncomfortable times, we pretty much need any hope we can get right now!
Catch Anna B Savage live:
12 Feb – Lantern, Bristol UK
13 Feb – Night & Day, Manchester UK
14 Feb – Stereo, Glasgow UK
15 Feb – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds UK
17 Feb – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham UK
18 Feb – Patterns, Brighton UK
19 Feb – Where Else, Margate UK
20 Feb – Union Chapel, London UK
20 Mar – Coughlan’s, Cork IRE
21 Mar – Roisin Dubh, Galway IRE
22 Mar – Unitarian Church, Dublin IRE
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