Ohio emo band Annabel have announced their first album in nearly a decade, Worldviews, due June 14 via Tiny Engines (pre-order). The band revealed the news along with a statement from guitarist/vocalist Ben Hendricks that reads, “We never broke up or officially went on hiatus, but I don’t blame anyone for thinking we did. Burnout is a common theme for bands of our ilk and our story is no different. Van problems, members leaving or moving out of state and just getting older and wondering if we’ve run our course. We’ve kept it alive just enough to do things like Fest, Kling Anniversaries, Japan, etc, but it’s been about as low key as a band can be.”
“There was a point where I wasn’t sure there would be another Annabel record. I didn’t really have a lot of interest in writing songs (or being a front person) for about a 4-5 year period. It was strange for someone who spent their entire life previously devoted to music and songwriting. I didn’t realize this was depression until a sleep specialist recommended some meds to me. It was kind of amazing how I instantly felt like writing songs again. Depression isn’t sadness, it’s the inability to find joy in the things you used to.”
“It’s been a long road back, and we may look a little different, but we finally have new music to share and we are extremely excited. So why would there be a new Annabel record in the year 2024? It’s a question I’ve asked myself over the years. But I’ve realized I need to this band to feel like myself. I need to just make music with my brother. And frankly, there doesn’t need to be a reason. You can simply do something because you have a desire to create and putt stuff out into the world with the people you care about.”
Ben and his brother (drummer Andy Hendricks) remain the core of the band’s current lineup, and Tiny Engines’ press release adds, “As long as they’ve got each other, we’ve still got Annabel.”
The album’s first single is “Defense Mechanism,” and Annabel sound totally refreshed and re-energized on it. It’s got a big, anthemic, fist-raising chorus, and it comes with a video directed and edited by Ben himself. Check it out below.
Tracklist
1. Another World
2. All Time
3. Worldviews
4. We Are Where We Are
5. Medicine
6. Every Home Needs A Ghost
7. Before Too Long
8. Dog
9. Small Victories
10. Defense Mechanism
11. Hopium
12. The Afterworld