Out Today: Anjimile ‘The King’

“An invitation to feel deeply, even—especially—the heartbreak, fear, and anger familiar to not just American Black and trans youth, but anyone whose identity has made them a target, left them feeling hopeless and powerless.” Pitchfork

“An innovative examination of distorted American life.” Uncut 8/10

“A record of cold, hard truths.” Loud and Quiet 7/10

“The inventive nature of Anjimile is really fascinating.” NPR Music

Today, Anjimile Chithambo, better known as Anjimile, releases his new album, The King. His debut release for 4AD and first full-length since 2020’s breakthrough Giver Taker, the record includes recently released singles: powerful title track ‘The King’, the gently emotive ‘Father’ and protest song ‘Animal’. The songs of The King document the range of complicated emotions of Anjimile’s lived experience – from the deep appreciation of parental support in ‘Father’, to the grief (‘Genesis’), fear (‘The Right’), and anger (‘Animal’) felt in response to the murder of George Floyd.

“If Giver Taker was an album of prayers, The King is an album of curses.” In his second album, Anjimile continues exploring what it means to be a Black trans person in America. The King was written in the wake of the Black Death – the Covid-19 epidemic and the rising, ceaseless wave of police brutality against Black folks. The brutally honest reflection of 2020’s deadly summer is less reminiscent of the pink cloud of early sobriety and more rooted in the reality of seeing brutality with clear eyes.

The King showcases the perfect marriage between Anjimile’s lyricism and musicality and the power of brilliant production. Nearly every sound you hear on The King comes from two instruments: an acoustic guitar and Anjimile’s own voice. Other than a few beautiful contributions from Justine Bowe, Brad Allen Williams, Sam Gendel, and James Krivchenia (Big Thief), the album is the result of a year in LA working intimately with Grammy and Juno winner Shawn Everett. Before entering the booth, Everett took Anjimile to different museums and had them choose a painting for each track on the album to get a feel for Anjimile’s artistry and process.  Everett’s intentionality is evident in every measure – with brilliant ideas like using a sole instrument for the entire album for sonic unity, to recording some tracks in every key before choosing a final version, and, finally, creating eerie effects by covering a microphone with a condom before submerging it in water and pointing a speaker at it.

Anjimile will be heading to Europe in November for headline shows in Amsterdam, Paris and London – full tour dates below. For tickets and information head HERE.

Anjimile [ANN-jim-UH-lee] Chithambo has been hustling for over a decade in the indie music scene, first hitting the stage in Boston while he attended Northeastern University as a music industry student. Anjimile recorded several EPs and albums on their own, and their star rose when their 2018 NPR Tiny Desk Concert contest entry was deemed the best out of Boston. In 2019 he recorded Giver Taker, a collection of songs written while getting sober in Florida. Giver Taker was critically adored – Rolling Stone Magazine deemed it one of the best 50 albums of 2020. Since Giver Taker’s release, Anjimile tested new material on the road while opening for artists like Jose Gonzalez, Tune-Yards, and Hurray for the Riff Raff. A collection of covers, Reunion (2021), featured renditions by Jay Som, Sasami, and Lomelda. His newest, The King, is the result of decades of hustling, centuries of survival, and one artist’s honesty and bravery.

ABOUT THE KING ALBUM ARTWORK

Daniela Yohannes lives and works in Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean. Her work reflects upon the racialised movement and conditional belonging of African diaspora, using her own Ethiopian-Eritrean heritage as a lens.

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