As indie phenom Anna Shoemaker builds to her second full-length album, Somebody Should Stop Her, each subsequent single release has further added pieces of the puzzle for how her signature sound will develop amid this next step. The latest addition is “Back Again,” a single Anna Shoemaker teased in previous live performances that’s now finally available on streaming platforms. Here’s what the singer-songwriter is showing off with her most recent.
“Push and pull” is really the guiding concept of this song on both a narrative and instrumental level. In fact, in previous interviews, Shoemaker cited the song as one of her favorites from Somebody Should Stop Her. Though the tender guitar lines that coarse through all of her discography remain here, there are some pop-punk influences as well, a more full-bodied production style that takes over during the hook below some airy harmonies from the singer. Place that alongside her typically understated aesthetic during the verses for the central piece of musical contrast, coming to a head with the shrill guitar feedback that plays as Shoemaker sings “I really wanna scream” about a minute in.
“Back Again” Finds Anna Shoemaker At An Emotional Low And Musical High
Narratively, the hopeless romantic/wistful character that Shoemaker so frequently adopts appears here as well, but the story we’ve become accustomed to as listeners isn’t what we get here. Rather than longing for a more ideal relationship, she’s longing for one just in the rearview, painstakingly flipping between angst over how things ended and a full-throated wish to be back with this departed partner.
Find that during the hook sections: “Come on baby / Just take me out tonight / We’re gonna get it right.” Interestingly, Shoemaker doesn’t spend much time contending with who’s “to blame” in this particular break-up outside of a quick, abstract reference (“You made a decision / Called me in Dallas and I bought a crystal”). It feels intentional in that way, though; even if the exact story beats are unclear, it’s the wrapt, tortured emotions that come to the fore as a result, the repeated refrain at the end almost like a Hail Mary attempt at speaking things into existence.
All told, it’s easy to see why Anna Shoemaker listed “Back Again” as a highlight of the LP, one of the most well-rounded and well-written songs in her discography to date. Somebody Should Stop Her hits platforms on February 21st. In the meantime, you can find “Back Again” and the entire Anna Shoemaker catalog wherever you stream your music.
In other news, recap the already-legendary Kendrick Lamar halftime performance with our Jack Friedman.
