Queer resilience in the apocalypse
Anjimile, an indie-folk singer from Boston, Massachusetts, recently debuted their second album The King. As a Black and gay non-binary person who grew up in a heavily religious environment with conservative parents, Anjimile dealt with feelings of fear, hopelessness and loneliness with some joy sprinkled throughout. This record welcomes listeners to deeply feel their emotions and to reflect on past experiences, especially for queer people who’ve been through similar situations as this artist.
The record begins with angelic, harmonious vocals running through arpeggios in the piece “The King.” Anjimile’s smooth vocals emerge until eventually an intense harpsichord pops in during the second verse. The spookiness of the track ramps up towards the end with stomping bass that transforms the angelic arpeggios to eldritch cries. The next song, “Mother,” starts with atmospheric sounds and acoustic guitar. Anjimile’s soft voice compliments the haunting, apocalyptic instrumentation as they sing “oh my mother’s not enough / and if she were here today / I wonder what your mother would say?”
“Anybody” has similar vocals to the beginning of “The King.” There are also dynamic runs on the last words of each line of the verses and chorus. The singer reaches their lower range on the lyrics “my father wasn’t there,” and there’s an emotional last chorus as they say “if you don’t find your wound / your wound will find you.” In the fourth piece, “Genesis,” a music box plays in the background along with occasional harmonizations and bass. “Help us / carry us / burn us / bury us” and “get me out of my head / I don’t wanna be dead yet” are among some of the most eerie lines in the song. The last verse features a fuzzy guitar solo.
“Animal” is composed of glitchy drums, pounding acoustic guitar and bass drum that sounds like an animal pouncing on its prey. Anjimile reflects on their experience as both a Black and LGBTQIA+ person with the lyrics “evеry day another grief to hold / and I heard bluе lives matter / from a white liberal / piece of shit I couldn’t stand at all / if you treat me like an animal.” The song concludes with what sounds like a stampede of animals. “Harley” maintains a mysterious atmosphere with guitar plucks that echo while creating pleasing imagery with the lyrics, specifically “underneath the autumn sun” and “kind of pink but kind of blue.” The simple approach Anjimile takes with this piece makes it similar to a Phoebe Bridgers song.
The ninth track, “I Pray,” is full of emotion as a personal experience with religion is discussed. They say “if I suffer / will it change me?” and “don’t wanna feel this way / I Pray,” which makes listeners feel for anyone who has dealt with the complex sentiments that can arise when pondering the crossover of religion and being queer. The soft guitar and distinctive, rich background vocals add to this feel. Halfway through, the instrumentation shifts to muffled church bells that fade flawlessly into the next piece. With its message and second half of the song considered, this is the most haunting song on the record.
The album concludes with “The Right,” which sounds like it’s straight out of a horror movie with the unsettling choir and minimalistic composition. This vibe pairs nicely with the overall message of the song that’s established with the lyrics “call into question / all I have known” as questioning everything is often scary and discomforting. Along with this aspect, there are unpredictable runs on the guitar that, at the end, become more prominent and add a sweet touch to an ominous song.
The King gives people permission to feel and question the norms society puts into place by looking at how prejudice negatively impacts the way an individual views themself. Anjimile smartly merges the messages in their lyrics with a cold, devastating atmosphere that is sure to make people think deeply about these ramifications.
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