Anna Burch - “2 Cool 2 Care”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 8

Pairs Well With…Alvvays, Stella Donnelly, Soccer Mommy

While Anna Burch’s 2018 solo debut Quit the Curse sounds naturally cohesive, it’s also an expression of her varied influences, glued together finely. Grunge rock balladry flirts with synth pop jams on “Asking 4 a Friend” while highlight opener “2 Cool 2 Care” grabs Laurel Canyon folk and twists it into a melodic, surf pop gem reminiscent of 60s girl groups. That musical creativity lays an opening for Burch’s personal songwriting, finding space between bedroom pop loneliness and hooky rhymes delivered with a wink. Burch’s music is raw but several steps from the garage. That yields a rare comfortability especially for a debut, though Burch has been gigging for years with Failed Flowers and as early as 2003 as a founding member of Frontier Ruckus. Anna Burch imaginably has new music in store for SXSW 2020, but a dive through Quit the Curse only broadens expectations on where she chooses to go next. (Kevin McStravick)