Anna Smyrk has come a long way since growing up on a lavender farm in Central Victoria. She has toured widely across Australia over the last few years (including appearances at Port Fairy Folk Festival and the Queenscliff Music Festival), juggling her music with her work in international development. In January she toured the UK for the first time, playing to packed out folk clubs and earning herself invitations to return in 2020 for festival and headline appearances.
With the lyrical imagery of Sharon Van Etten, lush vocal harmonies reminiscent of Seeker Lover Keeper, and a rousing arrangement worthy of The Decemberists, Anna’s latest single, ‘Alight’, is an alt-folk anthem for our times. The song came out of a dark place despite being written during the two & half years Anna lived in the Solomon Islands.
Glowing with rich layers of vocals, ‘Alight’ was recorded in a Central Victorian farmhouse in the middle of a dry, brown summer when Anna was visiting home for a couple of weeks. It features a band of old friends on violin, banjo, dobro, double bass and drums and Anna’s sister on backing vocals.
“It’s always super energizing to play this song live, and recording it felt the same” says Anna. “There were quite a few air punches in the studio that day.”
The music video for ‘Alight’ was shot at an abandoned mansion in Tagaytay, Philippines by award-winning Phillipino film-makers Sheron Dayoc (producer) and Sonny Calvento (director). Their latest film won Best Full-Length Feature at Cinemalaya Festival in the Philippines and is currently competing in the Busan International Film Festival in Korea.
‘Alight’ is the third single to be lifted from Anna Smyrk’s sophomore EP, Swim, out on Nov 1st 2019. From the sapphire waters of the Solomon Islands to crumbling Cambodian towns, the EP is a collection of songs about Anna’s time spent living in wild places.
