Anna Smyrk The Excavator

Anna Smyrk returns with her latest indie rock number 'The Excavator', lifted from her anticipated forthcoming EP, The Hour Between Us. Hailing from Central Victoria, the Melbourne artist has been winning over the hearts and ears of new and returning fans alike with her ever-evolving sound that ranges from cacophonous rock belters to danceable indie-pop melodies and heartbreaking folk ballads. Now, Anna is thrilled to celebrate the arrival of her latest single with the announcement that her fast-approaching EP, The Hour Between Us, will be released Thursday 7 October.

Filling the big shoes of previous single and video, 'Human Condition', which was added to Double J rotation and MTV respectively before being launched with a string of sold out shows across Victoria, 'The Excavator' proves Anna is an artistic force to be reckoned with. Premiered this week by Backseat Mafia, the single opens with sparse synths and percussion that allow the captivating vibrato of Anna's voice to shine, before quickly erupting into an epic crescendo that could rival even the most triumphant Of Monsters and Men favourites. The track's bubbling ebb and flow is in part thanks to the dynamic production of Joel Quartermain (Eskimo Joe, Meg Mac) and the symphonic strings of Alex Burkoy (Tinpan Orange), whose combined orchestral rock elements create a full stadium style performance that leaves you cheering and begging for more.

"The Excavator is about watching someone go through grief. Seeing them literally hit rock bottom – down low, in the dark, clearing out the basement of the house they grew up in. The subject matter is kind of heavy, but it was one of the most fun songs to record. We wanted to capture the different faces of grief. Sometimes it's understated and brooding, like the song's verses, and sometimes it just explodes out of nowhere and floors you, which is what we tried to do with those big choruses." – Anna Smyrk
 
After leaving the small town where she grew up, Anna spent about five years living in Cambodia and then the Solomon Islands and in pre-COVID times, split her time between Melbourne and Manila, where she works as a consultant for the World Health Organization. Anna is currently juggling releasing new music with supporting the COVID-19 vaccine roll out in Papua New Guinea. With a life shared between places, it's no wonder Anna's aptly titled EP, The Hour Between Us, traverses themes of long distance relationships, loneliness and the ongoing frustrations of trying to connect in a chronically disconnected society. The EP will be with us in October, with the first two singles, 'Human Condition' and 'The Excavator', a thrilling taste of what's to come.