Today, Anjimile Chithambo, better known as Anjimile, releases his new album, The King.
+ Buy the new album on limited yellow vinyl from the 4AD Store, including exclusive signed photo print bundle +
+ Buy and stream here +
His debut release for 4AD and first full-length since 2020’s breakthrough Giver Taker, the record includes recently released singles: powerful title track ‘The King’, the gently emotive ‘Father’, protest song ‘Animal’, and the haunting single ‘Black Hole’ that was released on Tuesday. The songs of The King document the range of complicated emotions of Anjimile’s lived experience – from the deep appreciation of parental support in ‘Father’, to the grief (‘Genesis’), fear (‘The Right’), and anger (‘Animal’) felt in response to the murder of George Floyd.
“The most remarkable thing about The King, however, is that its synthesis of sound and vision makes it feel so thoroughly like a monumental record.“
– Paste (Album of the Week)
“An innovative examination of distorted American life.” – Uncut (8/10)
“A record of cold, hard truths.” – Loud and Quiet (7/10)
“The inventive nature of Anjimile is really fascinating.” – NPR Music
“If Giver Taker was an album of prayers, The King is an album of curses.” In his second album, Anjimile continues exploring what it means to be a Black trans person in America. The King was written in the wake of the Black Death – the Covid-19 epidemic and the rising, ceaseless wave of police brutality against Black folks. The brutally honest reflection of 2020’s deadly summer is less reminiscent of the pink cloud of early sobriety and more rooted in the reality of seeing brutality with clear eyes.
The King showcases the perfect marriage between Anjimile’s lyricism and musicality and the power of brilliant production. Nearly every sound you hear on The King comes from two instruments: an acoustic guitar and Anjimile’s own voice. Other than a few beautiful contributions from Justine Bowe, Brad Allen Williams, Sam Gendel, and James Krivchenia (Big Thief), the album is the result of a year in LA working intimately with Grammy and Juno winner Shawn Everett.
Before entering the booth, Everett took Anjimile to different museums and had them choose a painting for each track on the album to get a feel for Anjimile’s artistry and process. Everett’s intentionality is evident in every measure – with brilliant ideas like using a sole instrument for the entire album for sonic unity, to recording some tracks in every key before choosing a final version, and, finally, creating eerie effects by covering a microphone with a condom before submerging it in water and pointing a speaker at it.
Anjimile will be heading to Europe in November for headline shows in Amsterdam, Paris and London – full tour dates below. For tickets and information head here.
September
9th – Hopscotch Festival, Raleigh NC, US
28th – POP Montreal, Montreal, Canada
November
3rd – 4th – Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavik, Iceland
7th – Paradiso Zonzij, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
10th – Pitchfork Festival, Paris, France
11th – Pitchfork Festival, London, UK
December
1st – Secca, Winston-Salem NC, US
2nd – DC9, Washington DC, US
3rd – PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia PA, US
5th – Public Records, Brooklyn NY, US
7th – Tubby’s, Kingston NY, US
8th – ICA, Boston MA, US
10th – The Drake, Toronto ON, Canada
12th – Schubas, Chicago IL, US
13th – The Burl, Lexington KY, US
Anjimile – The King
4AD0575
1. The King
2. Mother
3. Anybody
4. Genesis
5. Animal
6. Father
7. Harley
8. Black Hole
9. I Pray
10. The Right