*Unfortunately, this event has been cancelled.
Los Angeles-based alt-rock singer/songwriter Annabel Lee has a lot of impressive credits. She’s toured as direct support for PHILTHY phriend Moon Walker; performed on a SXSW showcase alongside our buddies Zella Day and Indigo De Souza; regularly worked with producer Justin Glasco, who’s also known for his work with Philthy Radio pheatured artist Paris Paloma; and she’s currently on the road opening for pop-rockers Transviolet, which will have her playing The Foundry at The Fillmore next Wednesday, April 9th. Annabel Lee and Justin Glasco have recently been at work on her sophomore LP, the follow-up to 2023 debut full-length MOTHER’S HAMMER, and she tells me during a recent chat that you can definitely expect to hear some of her new music next week in Fishtown.
Izzy Cihak: Your debut LP, MOTHER’S HAMMER came out almost exactly two years ago. What have been some of the personal highlights of all the things you’ve done in that time?
Annabel Lee: I think overall, the biggest takeaway from releasing MOTHER’S HAMMER was that the more introspective writing gets the more relatable it seems to be. So, I think people responding to it and relating to it was probably my favorite part of all of it, not to mention playing a lot of shows with my band and getting to tour the country.
Izzy: I know that you’re currently working on your sophomore LP with longtime collaborator Justin Glasco. How would you characterize your working relationship and process?
Annabel: Justin and I work very quickly, and we throw a lot of shit at the wall. We trust each other and have a lot of fun, and we do our best to service exactly what the song needs without regarding genre. It’s always a blast working with him and everything just feels natural and honest.
Izzy: How do you feel like the music you’re currently working on compares to MOTHER’S HAMMER?
Annabel: MOTHER’S HAMMER was an incredibly personal album. It took me many years of living to have the stories that are that album. My next project is more about responding to the world at large through my lens. It is still personal and still very much about womanhood, but at the same time the themes are more expansive and aggressive.
Izzy: When might fans expect to be able to get their hands on, or even just hear, the new music? Are you currently bringing any of it into your live shows?
Annabel: I might be releasing a song or two from the next album pretty soon actually… And will definitely be incorporating it into our sets on tour. Very excited!
Izzy: I realize this is a cheesy question, but I often ask something similar… Since this will be your sophomore LP, I’m curious if you have any favorite sophomore LPs in your own music library? I was looking through your Spotify, and we definitely have a lot of tastes in common, and Fiona Apple, Bob Dylan, The Kills, Nine Inch Nails, Placebo, The Smashing Pumpkins, and The Velvet Underground definitely all have stellar sophomore albums.
Annabel: My fav sophomore albums are The B-52’s’ and Fiona Apple When the Pawn…
Izzy: You’ve put out a number of really cool videos with The Ovalle Brothers. What kinds of things inspire your collaborations with them?
Annabel: Working with Gabe and Iván Ovalle has been some of the most fun I’ve ever had making art. We all have different tastes, but there’s a lot of overlap in emotional goals and overall aesthetics. We seem to all love weird campy horror, the macabre, spooky DIY/punk ass shit with a cowboy edge- and sneaking in deeply human heartfelt moments.
Izzy: On a sort of related note, your music has been featured in a number of pretty prominent places (HBO’s Mrs. Fletcher, Netflix’s Lucifer, ABC’s The Rookie, and a Casper Mattress campaign). Is there anywhere you dream of your music winding up or anything that you’d love to have it soundtrack?
Annabel: I think it would be pretty cool to hear one of my songs in a giant movie trailer for a big badass dystopian action movie, or maybe in a scene of a psychological thriller, where somebody’s on the run — or a steamy scene between forbidden lovers. But I’d honestly be happy with a car commercial.
Izzy: You just kicked off a run of dates supporting Transviolet, who are also so amazing and seem like they’d be great to get to tour with and see every night. How did opening night go?
Annabel: Opening night was fucking awesome! Even though it’s only been a couple days it’s already been such a blast, and it’s my first time being able to take my band on tour, which has been the most exciting thing ever! We’re all having a very good time and are pumped to keep it going.
Izzy: What can be expected of the live show when you’re here? I’ve been a fan since Big Hassle introduced me to you two years ago, but this’ll be my first time seeing you live. I know you do a lot of multimedia stuff, so I’m guessing the live show is something that has a lot of thought put into it.
Annabel: Me and my band try to bring the energy of a basement party/Legion Hall show. I like to make sure I make a lot of sinister eye contact. Anything could happen at any moment. I promise to bring fearsome energy.
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