Anxiously Reminiscent
After blowing up on TikTok in 2021 with her song “Nine Months,” with over four years of a career under her belt already, Annie DiRusso takes the next step in her career, releasing an EP. With early 2000s influences in her music, DiRusso nostalgically talks about unrequited love and break ups, along with her vulnerabilities on this EP titled God, I Hate This Place.
Starting off the EP with 2000s nostalgic guitar chords, “Emerson” appears innocent right before singing the most disturbing line, “Baptized by a pedophile.” An old church, religious trauma and pedophilia are topics which are not further covered in the song, other than a possible nod to uncomfortable sexual experiences with the lines “All the wrong things are turning me on / So I’ll fix my eyes on the ceiling / And pretend I like this a lot.” “Emerson” talks about repeating cycles and not being able to move on, feeling like one’s stuck being who they were since childhood. The chorus is nostalgic and catchy, and the guitar riffs are emotionally charged. The outro is beautiful with a violin-sounding electric guitar and an explosion of sound, “Emerson” concludes, marking the start of an interesting EP.
“Body” is a vulnerable and relatable track, reflecting trauma related to one’s own body, and never having a body that is deemed perfect to society. From her mother’s expectations of her when she was young at 13, to not feeling desirable to a partner for anything other than her face, “Body” takes the listener on a journey of DiRusso’s day to day, moving through life in her own body, reclaiming it with lyrics such as “Not really one for trying to be who you want me to be.”
“Frisco Forever” is a war between fleeing the thoughts of an ex partner after a breakup. “If I could forget you then I’d stay in Frisco Forever,” Annie DiRusso sings. In this track, the namesake for the EP comes up. The line “God, I hate this place,” contrary to first thoughts, is not about an actual place, but about mental places that make her feel alone post-breakup, and places that remind her of her past lover, as she doesn’t want to remember him anymore. The instrumentation is not particularly front and center, acting as decoration for the lyrics to fall back on.
“Nauseous” starts very differently from the rest of the tracks. Immediately, tension is felt through the distorted guitars and anxious drums, before calming for the verse, with open chords and basic drums. “Nauseous” does a good job of expressing feelings through music. The chorus is made in a very “indie rock y2k fashion” that would fit great in a coming-of-age movie as the credits roll. The track talks about wanting to be good enough for the person she likes, to the point of making a useless effort, as the person she likes is already with another girl. It’s the epitome of unrequited love.
The last track of the EP, “Hybrid” begins with acoustic guitars, before mellowing out to soft electric guitars. DiRusso talks about her love not being good enough for her ex, as they grew apart and broke up while she still wanted to be with them. The song is shocking, with a hard chorus that hits the listener in the face. The chorus is easily the most emotional, freeing and liberating part of the song. It is a knock out, gorgeous way to close the song and better yet, the EP, God, I Hate This Place.
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