The Anywheres Releases Self-titled Debut LP

Crafting an album for the first time is no small task; just ask The Anywheres, a Melbourne-based alt-country duo who just released their first album under their band name. Self-titled and all, there’s a beauty to crafting a record that essentially has the same name as you. There’s certainly an angle to living up to the hype, as your name is literally the only thing on the tin, but there’s always something even more daunting than creating music for fans to enjoy — the music on a first record is your first appearance to the world, and the crucial component to making it land is vetting every track with the most important person in the process: yourself.

URL: https://theanywheres.com/

The Anywheres probably made short work of the vetting process, as they only had to bounce ideas off of one another being a duo and all, but the pressure was on. Originally set to release in 2020, something totally normal called a pandemic happened and the band had to delay. Sitting in a pressure cooker for two years, The Anywheres as an album has finally seen the light of day and all that waiting has paid off.

 Cheekily titled “What You Want To Hear,” the first song on the record brings listeners into the articulated world of The Anywheres through lush harmonies, duets, and crisp production. “Some Folks” feels like a victory lap for the album’s release, as it would be made at home in any live performance setting. “Tell Me” reveals a softer side of The Anywheres that brings the duo’s harmonies even further into the light. The way Rosie Conforto and Dom Italiano’s voices rest upon one another feels like divine intervention, and as a listener, I’m glad they found each other and came together!

“I Don’t Know Why” is a more upbeat addition to continue to up the album’s propulsion, with a chorus that feels like an emotionally cathartic release from everything the first third of the album has put on the duo. “Bitter Tears” brings the vibe down to levels that equate to a slow dance at a roadhouse, as the lights go down and the busboy begins to sweep up during the last call.

That is to say, it’s an emotional one, and it functions as a crucial step in the arc of The Anywheres. “One Day” doubles down on the emotional tracks, and this one might actually provoke some tears from listeners; “Bitter Tears” got me vulnerable before “One Day” came on and I suspiciously got something in my eye. “I’d Rather Stay Home” is a distinctly new texture for The Anywheres as it is almost out of the ‘80s in its melody and duet structure. The plucky twang of the banjo below the battling voices gives the song its own vibe altogether, and it’ll totally make you forget about how you were just crying.

“I Will Life You Up,” however, comes on just fast enough to get those tear ducts functioning again, and “Just Break My Heart” basically throws roses on your grave. The back half of The Anywheres is a particularly emotionally palpable series of songs, fair warning. Coming in to save the sorrow with a touch of sincerity, “I Will Bring You Home” shows up to wrap the album up. A splendid album finisher, and one of the album’s best tracks, there’s a lot to applaud. The Anywheres is a concise, surefire debut album that knows exactly what strings it wants to pull, and the duets are so exceptional and precise that audiences will love having those strings pulled for them.

Mindy McCall