Rarely does an album arrive with such an assured sense of emotional and geographical placement.
After initially announcing herself on London’s singer-songwriter circuit, Savage’s first two albums – A Common Truth and in|Flux – were cocktails of spoken word, minimalist instrumentation and subtle electronica; marking the arrival of a truly singular artist. Her latest release, You & i are Earth, showcases the same knack for abstract storytelling, now finding a spiritual and physical home on the Emerald Isle.
Joining forces with producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy (Lankum, Black Midi), Anna B Savage’s third full-length offering is grounded in a distinct sense of contentment and location. Tender, vulnerable lyricism coalesces with rich, earthy instrumentation which wears its cracks and creaks on its sleeve; resulting in a beguiling album which feels organic in every sense of the word.
You and i are Earth features a killer collection of Irish contributors, how was the team assembled?
Thanks! And I agree…
I knew Brian from studying – he was my tutor when I first moved to Ireland. Joey my drummer flew over (not completely Irish but very important). Kate Ellis I had been lucky enough to perform with at Sounds from a Safe Harbour, and felt such a connection to her musically that I knew I wanted her on the record, lucky for me she said yes. I didn’t know Cormac or Caimin but Spud had worked with both of them before, and knowing Lankum and Crash Ensemble I didn’t need to be convinced of their abilities or invaluable impact on this would be album.
Ireland has made a huge creative impact globally in the years since you’ve lived there, does this feel palpable from the inside?
It really, really does. I love the variety of it all too (CMAT, Rachael Lavelle, Lankum and Fontaines D.C. wouldn’t be put on the same lineup in my head, but fuck me they’re all great).
What took you to Donegal specifically?
I was looking to move from Dublin as it’s an expensive place to live and it was during the covid lockdowns so I wasn’t able to get out and explore at all. My housemate and I moved to Donegal together, wanting to be in closer proximity to the sea and mountains to climb.
The new album doesn’t shy away from romance, do you present the tracks to your partner or just wait for him to find them in the wild?
Oh I definitely played them all to him long before this album came out, checking whether he was okay with the details that were in there and what had been shared – I absolutely didn’t want to blindside him with anything. He’s wonderfully generous and kind so it went well, and on some songs he even helped me work the lyrics in to a shape that was more accurate and good.
How has therapy informed your relationship with songwriting?
I think therapy has informed my relationship with everything, honestly. But I also want to stress that while I can be in danger of being quite evangelical about it, it doesn’t fix everything and therapy cannot heal unstable housing / food scarcity / the planet dying / genocide / war. So yeah, just to make that very clear!
Therapy definitely allowed me to write more, I think because I’m kinder to myself these days. I am also less exacting and less of a perfectionist. Not in the sense that I don’t mind if the songs are good or bad, but it was so crippling before that I would almost bully myself before I’d even written a line, the critical voice in me was so strong and loud. Nowadays, I try to make and then leave the editing (not criticism!) to later at a different point. Making things is vulnerable and scary, so when that initial kernel is being grown, it should be shielded from criticism.
You and i are Earth’s artwork is a dream pairing with the album’s themes, do you oversee all of the visuals yourself and – more importantly – did you actually bury yourself in foliage for the shot?
I absolutely do oversee all the visuals myself and I came up with all the ideas and worked with the wonderful Sophie Hurley Walker, who designed so many of the elements of the album and the album itself, and also Katie Silvester the magical photographer. We worked together on inFLUX (also imagined by myself before taking it to them).
I was indeed buried in the moss in a forest near my house – in the ‘Agnes’ video you can see a more full body shot (and actually on the back of the album too, though it’s significantly harder hehe). I also directed, edited and colour graded all three of the videos from this album.
I never used to think I was a visual person, or I thought I wasn’t good enough at it. I’m starting to be okay with acknowledging that I love it and that I’m a huge part of it now. I really love how it informs and expands the music, and I feel like it does have the capacity to do that.
You & i are Earth is out now via City Slang
featured image: Katie Silvester
