Limerick’s Marty Ryan has been releasing music as Anna’s Anchor since 2014. Initially a solo project, the band now involves multiple collaborators and The Merries is their most expansive work yet.
Ryan has synthesised the inescapably American ingredients of pop-punk and his own recognisably Irish point of view. Sometimes, we get so used to seeing the world through an American filter that even something as small as Ryan’s familiar pronunciation of the word “heart” on Nothing Happened Today can be a memorable moment. The songwriting is nearly flawless; melodies are simple but catchy (always harder than it looks), and the production is bright and youthful, perfectly matching the nostalgic themes that Ryan explores in his lyrics.
Ryan injects some new life into the use of voice notes and recordings of phone calls when he utilises them on Opening Credits and I Never Felt That Way, elevating the tracks by including synthy audio beds that add an otherworldly quality. His use of found sound has more impact on Knock, the penultimate (and best) track on the album. Here, Ryan widens his lens to survey the damage the Catholic Church has inflicted on Ireland, raging against a figure who is “preaching from the altar” but who “doesn’t fucking care.” The song ruptures as Dermot Sheedy’s furious bodhrán melds with a recording of a man of the cloth talking about “our Lord’s presence”. The song ends with this voice stuck on repeat, which could represent an endless cycle or the breaking of one.
Words: Joe Joyce
Anna’s Anchor – The Merries
RELEASE DATE: July 7
