Yesterday was release day for Atlanta-by-way-of-Tallahassee newcomers bandanna. Their debut LP uncertain/ty is beautiful and meditative with songs that ebb and flow into soft emotional crescendos. If you’re looking for a place to dive in, their most recent single “sleepy eyes” is a good place to follow their earnest charm—it’s lush and intricately detailed with sprawling instrumentation and pensive hooks. Anna Griffith’s elegant will-o-the-wisp vocals urgently detail star-crossed longing (“Sleepy eyes open wide / It’s you that I’m chasing / Maybe you’re chasing me, too“) as the rest of the band—Tim Holder on bass, Nick Bell on drums, and Mason Palanti on keys and synths—swirl palettes of rhythmic color around her hypno-guitar tendrils.
Although I’m just beginning to make my way into this record, it’s clear that Griffith and her cohorts have crafted something expansive and deeply intimate. Tracks like “stress dream” and “pickles” echo and swoon with a kind of lulling intensity, pulling the listener into the heart of Griffith’s soul-baring reflections. Elsewhere, “fire escape” and “ghost home” showcase a more upbeat and propulsive sound, injecting some needed zip into bandanna’s rangy folk rock aesthetic. Overall it’s a winning mix of beauty and drive, combing gorgeous songcraft with the youthful energy of a house show.
If there is a major takeaway from my initial listens of uncertain/ty, it’s how dynamic and euphoric this band can sound. Although Griffith spends much of the record detailing her fears and anxieties, you never get the sense she feels worn down or beleaguered. Instead what we get is a songwriter working through pain and past trauma in order to embrace the promise of a nebulous future. Like Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker, Griffith is the heart and oxygen of the band (this is a group, after all, the draws their name by combining “band” with “Anna”), and this record pulses and breathes with poise and immediacy. Bandanna may represent new blood in the city, but they’re already a force to be reckoned with.
uncertain/ty is available now on all streaming platforms via Cat Family Records.
More Info
Bandcamp: bandannaofficial.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @bandannaofficial
Instagram: @bandannaofficial
Twitter: @bandannaoffish