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Quit the Curse

by Anna Burch

supported by
BetoR
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BetoR It's like a battle between her voice or her guitar as to who has the best melody in the song. Great songwriter, not to mention her great voice; something fresh to listen to. Favorite track: Quit the Curse.
Evan Brown
Evan Brown thumbnail
Evan Brown A fantastically mixed sonic cloud of siren song and deep cutting emotions... sends me to a headspace like an out of body experience through the lens of an old Polaroid camera. This is what Man heard when Truth came out of her well to shame us... Favorite track: With You Every Day.
Weadee M.
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Weadee M. It's funny, for each song on the record I could think of specific person I've wanted to say those exact words to. This album not only took the words out of my mouth, but put a smile on my face :) Favorite track: 2 Cool 2 Care.
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1.
Slamming all your drinks You don’t have to think about me You’ve got all your friends Used up all their meds, honey I’ll still be okay when you walk my way publicly But when I get home I can’t be alone Can’t you see You scare me with Your indifference I like you best When you’re a mess Spacing out again At your suburban retreat Did I freak you out Oh what’s that about, tell me From what I can see reciprocity is boring But I’m tired of unrequited love stories You scare me with Your indifference I like you best When you’re a mess I don’t even fantasize About what life would be like If I were to find a one true love The kind they said I should be dreaming of You say you can’t get close Hurt the ones you love the most Is that why I try to win you over Singing “Crimson and Clover” I wanna do everything My my you’re such a sweet thing
2.
Strange the ones you love Could bury your body underground I woke up too late again Would you start the coffee my only friend I forgot to fake the way that I was feeling I guess it's too late Now all my cards are showing No you can't come up Who am I kidding I would drag you up What was that you said That I don't exist inside your head That I don't exist inside your head You said you would communicate better So what, will you send me a tea-soaked letter? I feel so alone When everyone in town is overblown So, I made a scene I can think of things more embarrassing I forgot to fake the way that I was feeling I guess it's too late Now all my cards are showing You said you would communicate better So what, will you send me a tea-soaked letter? You're all I wanted You're all I wanted You're all I wanted You're all I wanted
3.
I’m just asking for a friend But it’s good to see you, good to see you again Is it the same stuff you had last time It really made me lose my mind I think it’s suspect you ever feel lonely at all You’re faking, you’re faking the fall You’re not sentimental but I’ve seen you cry In the hotel room when we were high So why do I feel so exposed When I’m the one who’s more composed If memory’s selective And pain is all relative It only sinks in when you’re the victim I think it’s suspect you ever feel lonely at all You’re faking, you’re faking the fall Small flowers plastered on the wall And I suppose I’m irrational
4.
Seeing you again could only make me Kissing you again would probably break me In all the time we had to run around And all the trips we took to settle down It’s not worth what you thought You think I’m cursed but I’m not You think I’m cursed but I’m not Knowing that it’s not about the waiting Don’t even know what I’m anticipating You’ve got all the power once again I try to fight but I’m stuck in your spin It’s not worse than you thought You say we’re cursed but we’re not, we’re not You gave up the first time You thought you read my mind And you thought I cared more than you did But did you have to quit Even if I did
5.
Belle Isle 03:37
I found myself in a new city I met you again fortuitously And you Quickly put yourself into my sights I fell so hard my friends swore I was blind And now I’m lovesick and sunburned And summer’s only beginning I’ve done many foolish and hurtful things Twisted myself up into the sheets With guilt And I’ve let loathsome men into my life Who smothered me with jealousy and pride But you Seem so cool in all that you do To make me feel like a lady I wish you would hold me in your arms Like the night we made out on Belle Isle I know there won’t always be fireworks But we saw them that night for a while I know that I’m very new in town And I’m so scared my past will run me down For good But when I see you looking back at me I think you see the girl I want to be And for now This bitter earth Is suddenly worth all the trouble We danced to that song twice in a row And I can’t let go all that easy
6.
I got back into town You tracked me down Like they said you would You finally found the time To apologize Like they said you should I won’t say that I fell For some kind of trap For some sort of scheme Just that I certainly fell It doesn’t matter why Doesn’t matter how Why lie, Why lie, Why We know what you want I heard you found another girl To occupy your mind It’s a matter of time She’s the saddest girl that I That I have ever seen But you see her in your dreams Until you wash your hands so clean We never would have seen Just leave her in your dreams
7.
What I Want 04:21
The inevitable run-in at the bar I was sulking and regretting going out We got to talking and I started to feel better That stabbing hatred for you suddenly felt softer You said it’s springtime and you’re doing a bit better You’ve even found yourself another lover I guess I could find one too I guess I could find one too I won’t play the victim just because I can’t get what I want I won’t play the victim just because I can’t get what I want Isn’t it nice to have a little bit of closure Instead of talking shit and throwing a cold shoulder I want to be nice to you I want to be nice to you Self destruction is so played out So is self pity and self doubt Let’s try to be okay Let’s try to be okay I won’t play the victim just because I can’t get what I want I won’t play the victim just because I can’t get what I want I won’t play the victim just because I can’t get what I want I won’t play the victim just because I can’t get what I want
8.
The bug bites The blood dries It’s in the past I’ll let go if you say so I’m all in yeah you know I gotta go out west a while Playing it cool’s just not my style I call you up to calm me down But your phone’s dead and you’re sleepin The problems they’re in my head You don’t worry about me You know I’ll be true Can you tell me that you will too? I drive all night on 80 East Put on the mix you made for me I call and you’re not answering To say something reassuring I should know when I go You will wait for me But it’s hard to let go of insecurities From bad memories So okay you’re not like that Yeah you know where I’m at
9.
When love becomes less sacred Your mouth keeps me interested You’re sweet like a little kid Whose family’s well adjusted There’s nothing you want to say I’m just with you every day I know it’s better than before So why, why do I need more? If you don’t know I’ll leave it alone You don’t let it show So how would I know? I’m nice, I’m too nice to you Now what, what else can I do? When there’s nothing more to say And I’m still with you every day

about

Though the deceptively complex pop of Quit the Curse marks the debut of Anna Burch, it’s anything but the green first steps of a fledgling new artist. The Detroit singer/songwriter has been visible for the better part of her years-long career singing in Frontier Ruckus, or more recently co-fronting Failed Flowers, but somewhere along the way a vibrant collection of solo material slowly began taking form.

Growing up in Michigan, Burch’s fixation with music transitioned from a childhood of Disney and Carole King sing-alongs to more typically angsty teenage years spent covering Bright Eyes and Fiona Apple at open mic nights. By 18 she was deep into the lifestyle of the touring musician, juggling all the regular trials and changes of young life while on a schedule that would have her gone for months on end.

After a few whirlwind years of this, exhausted and feeling a little lost, she stepped away from music completely to attend grad school in Chicago. This respite lasted until 2014 when she moved to Detroit and found herself starting work in earnest on solo songs she’d been making casual demos of for a year or so. Friends had been encouraging her to dive into solo music, and one particularly enthusiastic friend, Chicago musician Paul Cherry, went so far as to assemble a band around scrappy phone demos to push for a fully realized album.

“Writing songs that I actually liked for the first time gave me a feeling of accomplishment," Burch said, "Like, I can do this too! But working with other musicians and hearing the songs go from sad singer/songwriter tunes to arranged pop songs gave me this giddy confidence that I'd never felt before.”

The process was drawn out and various drafts and recordings came and went as the months passed. By now Burch was playing low key shows and d.i.y. tours solo and had released some early versions of a few songs on a split with fellow Detroit musician Stef Chura. Even at a slow, meticulous pace, with every step the album took closer to completion, it felt more serious and more real. After a more than a year of piecemeal recording sessions, Burch was introduced to engineer Collin Dupuis (Lana Del Rey, Angel Olsen) who helped push things energetically home, mixing the already bright songs into a state of brilliant clarity.

The nine songs that comprise Quit the Curse come on sugary and upbeat, but their darker lyrical themes and serpentine song structures are tucked neatly into what seem at first just like uncommonly catchy tunes. Burch’s crystal clear vocal harmonies and gracefully crafted songs feel so warm and friendly that it’s easy to miss the lyrics about destructive relationships, daddy issues and substance abuse that cling like spiderwebs to the hooky melodies. The maddeningly absent lover being sung to in “2 Cool 2 Care”, the crowded exhaustion of “With You Every Day” or even the grim, paranoid tale of scoring drugs in “Asking 4 A Friend” sometimes feel overshadowed by the shimmering sonics that envelop them.

“To me this album marks the end of an era of uncertainty. Writing songs about my emotional struggles helped me to work through some negative patterns in my personal life, while giving me the sense of creative agency I'd been searching for.”

Emerging from years spent as a supporting player, Quit the Curse stands as a liberation from feeling like Burch’s own songwriting voice was just out of reach -- an opportunity, finally, for the world at large to hear what’s been on her mind for quite a while.

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released February 2, 2018

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Anna Burch Detroit, Michigan

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