Today, Anjimile previews a third song from his upcoming album, The King, out 8th September.
+ Listen to ‘Animal’ on all platforms here +
‘Animal’ is a protest song about police brutality, written in the summer of 2020 and explicitly references the death of George Floyd. Like the rest of The King, every sound heard on ‘Animal’ comes from two instruments: an acoustic guitar and Anjimile’s own voice. Throughout, Anjimile’s feelings of rage and frustration are tinged with sardonicism, and the song is accompanied by an equally potent video directed by Robby Operman.
“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. Featuring the singles ‘The King’, ‘Father’ and ‘Animal’, 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. Drawing from influences ranging from religion, Phillip Glass, and lived experiences, the album is a grand step forward for Anjimile.
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.
+ Pre-order the new album on limited yellow vinyl from the 4AD Store, including exclusive signed photo print bundle +
+ Pre-order and pre-save here from all stores here +
To celebrate the release of The King, Anjimile has announced a run of North American tour dates, adding to an existing run of international festival appearances taking place later this year. A full list of dates is below.
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 [ANN-jim-UH-lee] has been hustling for over a decade in the indie music scene, first hitting the stage in Boston while he attended Northeastern University as a music industry student. Anjimile recorded several EPs and albums on their own, and their star rose when their 2018 NPR Tiny Desk Concert contest entry was deemed the best out of Boston. In 2019 he recorded Giver Taker, a collection of songs written while getting sober in Florida. Giver Taker was critically adored – Rolling Stone Magazine deemed it one of the best 50 albums of 2020. Since Giver Taker’s release, Anjimile tested new material on the road while opening for artists like Jose Gonzalez, Tune-Yards, and Hurray for the Riff Raff. A collection of covers, Reunion (2021), featured renditions by Jay Som, Sasami, and Lomelda. His newest, The King, is the result of decades of hustling, centuries of survival, and one artist’s honesty and bravery.