Last Wednesday, April 13, punk band Anarbor, who were previously on hiatus for the past two years, announced that they had just finished creating a new album. To be quite honest, the fangirl in me could not calm down.
This is big. This is huge. This is the return of my favorite band circa 2010.
Anarbor’s music is like a mix between classic rock and emo-pop-punk in the strangest, best way possible. Think 60’s hippie van meets basement venue. Their songs are killer, and since I was in the 8th grade I have been all about them.
Anarbor released 2 LPs and an EP between 2009-2013. They played Vans Warped Tour in 2013 and shortly after went on hiatus. The hiatus did not come as a surprise to most (it was more shocking that they actually released their album “Burnout” in 2013), but it was slightly devastating nonetheless. After, lead singer Slade Echeverria announced a side project, WLFPCK, which gained some recognition, but has not amounted to much. Then, suddenly, Anarbor was suspiciously growing active again on social media, announcing that some of them were making music together again. Before the internet knew it, last week the news came that they were releasing a new album without a record label.
Although I am elated about the news that Anarbor has just low-key recorded a new album, I know that they are not the most popular or well-known group today. Back in 2009-2011, however, they were quite arguably at their peak in the scene. They were signed to Hopeless Records, a popular record label within the scene. Anarbor was the hot, rising star the scene did not know it needed. Anarbor prides itself in being a laid-back rock band with punk tendencies, and that was something that was highly cherished five years ago. However, something happened afterward where they just could not keep up with the rest of the scene. Around 2011-2013, the band was still semi-relevant, but their small-rush of popularity from years before was not maintained. Their music did not get any worse, they just could not keep up with other bands.
They rose, then flat-lined, and now they are coming back. Anarbor has always been that band that is merely just there. They don’t make waves in the scene, but they always produce a solid product that everyone can enjoy and chill out to. They are a consistent and fun band, and most fans of the scene can recognize or enjoy their music, even if they are not one of the beloved members of the scene everyone holds in such high regard.
Anarbor is a fantastic band with a quiet but surprisingly solid fan base, and everyone should get ready to embrace their return. It will be epic and hopefully give them the opportunity to develop a larger group of fans.
I am ready for Anarbor to dominate Warped Tour and basement venues again, and fans of the scene should be as well.
