Anchoress

For Anchoress, “momentum is progression”, as singer Rob Hoover shouts on their new single Hydrodynamic. So to keep themselves moving and fight the entropic forces of the pandemic period, the band spent their days marking every little victory to keep themselves sane. These little victories quickly grew from tentative group zoom calls to being back in the studio to put the finishing touches on their fourth record, Stay Positive, and signing on with Early Onset Records to plan its release.

Based in Vancouver, BC, Anchoress play a style of punk and hardcore that leans to the technical and melodic without falling prey to melodrama and losing relatability. The guitar work by Keenan Federico and Phil Jones is lean and percussive, while still being hummable and fun as the two play off of each other. Ricky Castanedo’s bass playing is driving and hook filled, to complement Chris Lennox-Aasen’s punk with a bowtie drumming, and all the while Hoover shouts, sings and screams over top.

Since forming in 2010, Anchoress has released three full lengths and an EP, toured back and forth across Canada and the US and become a staple of the Vancouver heavy music scene. Their infamously wild live show and their unique mix of hardcore punk aggression and post-punk versatility grew a substantial fan base that packed venues, record stores, and basements throughout the rainy city. This versatility allowed them to simultaneously fit in and stand out just as well playing with x’d up hardcore bands, blackened tech metal bands, emotional pop punk bands and everything in between. It also afforded them the opportunity to play shows with some of their idols and favourite bands like Every Time I Die, Cancer Bats, A Wilhelm Scream, ‘68, Drug Church, Gallows, and Andrew WK among many others.

Stay Positive, which is the first record Anchoress has produced as a five piece, was recorded with Jesse Gander (Japandroids, White Lung) at Rain City Records. It sees Anchoress at their most confident, comfortable with experimentation like the inclusion of piano and a cast iron pan in the anthemic punk of “Peace Lines” or the slide guitar and synths in the vibe-heavy “An Old Wolf”, while still letting each song be exactly what it needs to be. Lead single “Hydrodynamic”, which features the vocals of all five members of the band, is a reverie on figuring out how to maintain a sense of progression in your life when you’re stuck in the same place, which has only become more relevant in this era of lockdowns and quarantine. Still loud, rather than heavy, Anchoress is musically following a trajectory similar to Title Fight or Touche Amore, wherein the band has eschewed the chaos of their earlier material for more dynamic, controlled, and ultimately more fulfilling songs.

Anchoress is thrilled to be here, still moving after a decade, about to release their most exciting record yet and itching to get back on stage where they belong.