It's no secret we are big fans of Hey Anna here at Those Who Dig. Simply put, they are great. If you haven't heard them yet, get acquainted via their awesome new EP Pompette. Also, you can go see them live tonight at Rockwood Music Hall.
The four tracks on Pompette are all gems. "Tim McQue" introduces many of Hey Anna's strengths: a dynamic beat, guitar that alternates between driving rhythm and catchy riffs, excellent bass lines and keyboard textures, and of course the amazing vocals of the Rauch-Sassen sisters. Each of the three takes turns in the spotlight, but they truly shine when in harmony. The interplay between the lushness of the voice and the energetic propulsion of Andrew and Matt make for such a delightful mixture. It kicks into another gear with "Dance Until Three," and you will hardly be able to keep still. The chorus is a good illustration of the mixture I mentioned, especially around the 2:00 mark when the guitar is crunching and the beat is slamming but the vocals just glide. It all works so perfectly.
I have seen the band several times live and believe me when I say these songs get even better in that setting. "Pia" is a typical set closer and absolutely slays me every time. When I interviewed the band a few months ago for my latest podcast, Andrew told me he started jamming with Katie and Anna because of a shared love of reggae. That influence is demonstrated most strongly in "Pia." There are some amazing grooves. The band somehow takes it to another level in the absolutely soaring chorus. It's stunning. Also in the interview, Erin, Andrew, and Matt talked a bit about "Superglue," which closes Pompette. It's a bit of a sequel to "Blackout" from the first EP (and when they played the two after each other the last time I saw them live, it was sublime). It's yet another great showcase of Matt's drumming, of the beautiful sisterly harmonies, and Andrew's on point guitar playing. I also should mention they are strong songwriters lyrically. This is true on all the tracks, and here, it's a story of navigating growing close to someone.
This feels like a big step forward and I can't wait to see what they do next, but I am content to enjoy this one for awhile. The band plays tonight at Rockwood Music Hall at 9:00 PM. You can find some more information here. There's more via their Facebook – like them! Also, you can follow on Twitter and Tumblr. And definitely click through the songs to go get Pompette on Bandcamp.