The band met in a bar in the Swiss mountains after a snowboarding session. Fast forward a few years and they are now well known for their live shows, having already played SXSW & Levitation Festival in Austin, The Great Escape in Brighton and the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg. Now, with the new album “Out of Scale” set to be released on May 22nd via Clouds Hill, Annie Taylor have further developed their sound. Each song sounds different yet inevitably follows on from the next. Distorted guitar and empowering grunge rage are followed by repetitive psychedelia. Then there’s a thoughtful, almost quiet song. Somewhere between Courtney Barnett and Wet Leg.
Much of the new music was written in the summer, during the holidays when Zurich was almost empty. Singer Gini Jungi remembers the taste of sunscreen and salt on her skin. Summer dresses. Endless time to think. Sometimes that felt good, when a night unfolded without a plan, in limbo, and she still felt a stark clarity. But sometimes she would sit on the carpet in her apartment, feeling alone, playing guitar, feeling loss, but also gratitude. At festivals, on long bus rides, and at late shows, the band members were always very close. They were able to empathize with singer Gini Jungi's lyrics almost seamlessly and set them to music together. Many songs on “Out of Scale” are about friendships and romantic relationships. About feeling secure and feeling the euphoria when someone shows you the beauty of the world. Memories of a time when everything was good. Then the doubts creep in. Something is no longer right. I am not your answer. I am not your cure.
“Lucidity” is the first single: the song captures everything the rock band stands for: melodic guitar riffs, head-nodding drums, and the distinctive voice of lead singer Gini Jungi. A large part of the new music was written over the summer and revolves around long nights that unfold spontaneously, driven by curiosity and clarity - lucidity, in other words. “Oh yes gimme some lime, I make an order for two! This song is about life, love and long nights that end up with eating pizza at 4AM” says Gini.
The visual concept was designed by Kevin Högger, Studio Végété, and Quentin Lacombe. The mix of contemporary graphic design, experimental art, and pop aesthetics reflects the friction and openness that characterizes the album. Doing your own thing, even if it's not the direct route. “Out of Scale” is about non-conformism. That's the message the album conveys and which is already embedded in the band's name. Annie Edson Taylor was a teacher from the USA who led a turbulent life and rubbed people up the wrong way. In 1901, she became the first person to plunge down Niagara Falls in a barrel. She was only injured on the back of her head. Annie Taylor's new songs are moving because they are very raw and intimate. “Out of Scale” motivates us to never stop dreaming. To constantly reinvent ourselves. And to resist stagnation.
02. Something Ain't Right
03. Lucidity
04. Fire
05. That City
06. The Cure
07. Overload
08. The Ocean
09. Silence
10. What Do You Have To Sell?
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