aaamusic | On 13, Jul 2010

Annuals are friends. Annuals are plant enthusiasts & animal lovers. Annuals are part of a harmonious family and  Annuals also happen to be a band. Hailing from the tranquilly artistic town of Raleigh, NC, Annuals are a talented  assembly of young musicians, whose debut was released just short of their twentieth birthdays. And when Annuals get together, the music they create is very special indeed.

“Count the Rings” will be Annuals first European release since “Be He Me”. Released on the 6th September it is a compelling mix of the band’s favourite songs and b-sides that have yet to see the light of day outside of the US. All songs are written by Adam and most produced & recorded by him in Annuals owned hometown, Terpsikhore Studios. This is Annuals the way they want you to hear them. Very appropriately, the first single from “Count the Rings” is a catchy once b-side, “Eyes in the Darkness”.

“Count the Rings” encompasses the pure energy of what Annuals are made of and known for; the quirky experimentalism, the intrinsic pop sensibility, the impeccable production & the boundless independent spirit. Electrifyingly alive.

The band released their first album “Be He Me” in 2006 to much critical acclaim. After tours with The Flaming Lips, Bloc Party and Calexico & Minus the Bear, Annuals continued to impress with their exuberant live performances, Southern charm, youthful  attitude and amazingly crafted and eclectic songs. If their sound proved the limitless possibilities of their musical imaginations, their shows established them as a mad, energetic force in which members often switched instruments between and during songs. And now, Annuals are ready for more.

Three of Annuals’ members – Adam Baker (songwriter/vocals/every other instrument under the sun), Kenny  Florence (lead guitar/backing vocals) and Mike Robinson (bass/backing vocals) – formed their first band together when they were 13. Zack Oden (drums/guitar), Donzel Radford (drums/percussion) and Anna Spence (keyboard/piano/backing vocals) soon followed, solidifying the group’s six person line-up in 2004. From this more- than-potent combination of players and personalities an incredible music collective was born. Frontman Baker, a  gifted composer who had already amassed a body of work by age 17, is an expert at constructing beautifully layered soundscapes that morph and blossom into lush, bombastic pop anthems.