The band met in a bar in the Swiss mountains after a snowboarding session. Fast forward a few years and they are now well known for their live shows, having already played SXSW & Levitation Festival in Austin, The Great Escape in Brighton, and the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg.
On ‘Out of Scale’, the band have further developed their sound. The band's first album, ‘Sweet Mortality’, brought them international fame, seemingly out of nowhere. They recorded their second album, ‘Inner Smile’ in the U.K. It was rougher, more honest. Now they have sharpened their style once again. Each song sounds different yet inevitably follows on from the next. Distorted guitar and empowering grunge rage are followed by repetitive psychedelia. Then there’s a thoughtful, almost quiet song. Somewhere between Courtney Barnett and Wet Leg.
Much of the new music was written in the summer, during the holidays when Zurich was almost empty. Singer Gini Jungi remembers the taste of sunscreen and salt on her skin. Summer dresses. Endless time to think. Sometimes that felt good, when a night unfolded without a plan, in limbo, and she still felt a stark clarity. But sometimes she would sit on the carpet in her apartment, feeling alone, playing guitar, feeling loss, but also gratitude.
At festivals, on long bus rides, and at late shows, the band members were always very close. They were able to empathize with singer Gini Jungi's lyrics almost seamlessly and set them to music together.
Many songs on ‘Out of Scale’ are about friendships and romantic relationships. About feeling secure and feeling the euphoria when someone shows you the beauty of the world. Memories of a time when everything was good. Then the doubts creep in. Something is no longer right. I am not your answer. I am not your cure.
Songs like ‘The Ocean’ or ‘Something ain't right’ find melodies for this mood, this mix of desire, longing, and comfort. Sometimes Gini Jungi's voice is in the background and reduced, then suddenly the fog lifts and she is very close.
Some more changes come along with this new release. The band have joined forces with the distinguished indie label Clouds Hill. Bassist Josip Tijan will be joining Annie Taylor, bringing fresh energy to the band. The visual concept was designed by Kevin Högger, Studio Végété, and Quentin Lacombe. The mix of contemporary graphic design, experimental art, and pop aesthetics reflects the friction and openness that characterizes the album.
Doing your own thing, even if it's not the direct route. ‘Out of Scale’ is about non-conformism. That's the message the album conveys and which is already embedded in the band's name. Annie Edson Taylor was a teacher from the USA who led a turbulent life and rubbed people up the wrong way. In 1901, she became the first person to plunge down Niagara Falls in a barrel. She was only injured on the back of her head.
Annie Taylor's new songs are moving because they are very raw and intimate. Because they give difficult times the space they deserve. And because they also allow for new beginnings. The opener ‘Alligator’ immediately grabs your attention, sounding as if everything is at stake in the band's rehearsal room and showing that after struggling, the realization often comes: I don't have to make myself small, dissolve, bend over. I can change the situation myself.
‘Out of Scale’ motivates us to never stop dreaming. To constantly reinvent ourselves. And to resist stagnation.
