Oregon-based singer-songwriter Anna Tivel has announced a new album called Living Thing. The follow-up to 2022’s Outsiders is due for release on May 31 via Fluff & Gravy Records. Check out a video for the lead single ‘Disposable Camera’ below.
Living Thing was recorded in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in collaboration with producer Shane Leonard. “I wrote feverishly in the strange chaos of that year, suddenly out of work and attempting to understand the shifting human fabric, the depth of desperation and the overwhelming tenacity of spirit,” Tivel explained in a statement. “The resulting songs felt rhythmic and vital, with more melody and soaring chorus than I’ve explored in the past. There was no way and no means to gather a full band, and I brought the songs to Shane’s doorstep knowing and fully trusting the skill and exuberance of his creative imagination. Shane stripped everything down to the studs and we rebuilt it together, just the two of us for a month in his garage studio, Shane dreaming up each sonic layer while I chased the lyrics to one last double chorus.”
“Shane gave his whole beautiful heart and mind to this record and I’ve never had such a freeing and powerful collaborative experience,” Tivel added. “I learned so much from watching him explore in the studio. We followed the rules of improv, said yes and tried every idea that percolated – sampled an 8 track symphony backward, looped wine glasses and lighters, read poetry into lofi microphones, and recorded a thunderstorm into a tape machine. Shane went on eternal drum tone quests, chased intricate melodic bass lines, and gently encouraged me to let go and sing from a deeper place. I love this record because it feels like a joyous musical conversation with a close friend about the big vast mystery of being alive.”
Living Thing Cover Artwork:
Living Thing Tracklist:
1. Silver Flame
2. Real Things
3. Bluebird
4. Kindness Of A Liar
5. Desperation
6. Disposable Camera
7. Two Truths
8. Altogether Alone
9. Gold Web
