A stirring new EP from Anna Josephine, everything to everybody proves impactful in its ascending melodic drives and illuminating lyricism. Folk and dreamy pop sentiments linger alongside explorations of self and the tendency to give oneself to people, both in positive and negative circumstances. A high-quality range of songwriting shows throughout.
A contemplative lyrical immersion pairs with a heartfelt dreaminess on opening track “Safe and Sound.” “Nothing stops the rain from falling down,” soaring vocals let out. The ensuing “my wounded heart,” sequence that culminates in a triumphant title-touting brightness. Anna Josephine consistently shows a knack for satiating structural and tonal developments through the EP, and “Safe and Sound” makes that trait quickly evident. “Blue” follows with a delicate folk intimacy. “I’ll talk to you, ’til the light’s blue,” smitten vocals lead into warming piano touches, comforting and spine-tingling in its depictions of those who provide emotional reassurance.
Bellowing backing vocal effects and a pulsing percussive intrigue swell on “Take My,” succeeding with its climactic ascent into conveyances of an invigorating self-discovery. “I changed my hair, I changed my clothes, I changed the places that I go,” Anna Josephine sings. “I starve myself so I expose the reconstruction of my bones.” The production is another resonant, rousing melding of spirited folk and pop emotion.
“It’d Be Easy” also enamors in its exposition of personal vulnerabilities — “I hate the ripples in my skin,” — as a gorgeous string-laden grandiosity takes hold thereafter. everything to everybody urges to hold onto and emphasize the little, beautiful things — ultimately leading to realizations of self-discovery and personal power. The release is a thorough success from Anna Josephine.
