Alt-pop quintet Hey Anna claim they hail from both Brooklyn and New Jersey, and that may all well be true. But we’re going to lean more heavily on their Garden State affiliations, because that might serve to separate the band from the pack (plus go Devils!). Not that they need the help breaking free: Hey Anna’s new single “Anaphaze,” which premiered today on NYLON, is one of the most hypnotic songs we’ve heard in some time.
We’d say it’s a “summer jam” or some shit like that, but this would sound good and appropriate in any season. The bold track shines and squeals and races along at the perfect speed, and the fun is in trying to keep up while maintaining indie-pop cool. It’s high pop on amphetamines, dancing and dreaming and twisting and swirling along the way, and it’s all just sugary enough to go down without a chaser.
So what’s it about, this “Anaphaze” business? Hey Anna break it down.
“It’s the moment when the lines between the virtual and natural world disappear, and virtual reality ceases to be an oxymoronon,” they tell NYLON. “The more we exist as virtual versions of ourselves, the harder it is to exist in the natural reality around us.”
The bad news is that the band doesn’t seem to have any Boston shows coming up, but they are New England bound, with an August 28 gig at the Press Room in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and an appearance the following night at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine. There’s also a New Haven gig but whatever. See their full run of shows with Off & On below.
After you watch the video for “Anaphaze” on full-screen, of course…
