After spending years playing with folksy indie bands like Frontier Ruckus and Failed Flowers (and backing Fred Thomas on his 2017 record Changer), Detroit “bummer pop” singer/songwriter Anna Burch released her solo debut Quit the Curse in February via Polyvinyl Record Co.
Starting with breezy opening track “2 Cool 2 Care,” Burch delivers both emotionally earnest lyrics and detached witticisms that, like the songwriting of her current tour-mate Speedy Ortiz, recalls the wordplay of Liz Phair. But most of the sunny, windswept pop melodies on Quit the Curse bely the moodiness lurking beneath the surface, even as Burch tells a love interest, “You scare me with your indifference/I like you best when you’re a mess.” (It sounds a lot like Alvvays, but without the sailing and matrimony.) Although they’re very pretty, some of the songs are so similar, they end up blending together.
Standout track “Belle Isle” is a welcome energy shift that soundtracks potentially self-destructive summer romance with nostalgic swoops of pedal steel, strummy guitar riffs, and lines about being “lovesick and sunburned.” Another highlight is the dazed lullaby “In Your Dreams,” along with closing track “With You Every Day,” which appropriately begins with a sigh. With her debut LP, Burch demonstrates her knack for writing guitar-pop hooks and lyrics that aren’t just vulnerable—they’re self-reflective, coalescing around her resolve to Quit the Curse.