The recording project of Boston’s Anjimile Chithambo, Anjimile will release their debut album, Giver Taker this autumn on Father/Daughter Records. The record promises to be a personal one, written during treatment for addiction and amid an ongoing effort to realise their non-binary trans identity, something which clearly influences the tone of the songs. “A lot of the album was written when I was literally in the process of improving my mental health,” Chithambo explains. “So there’s a lot of hopefulness and wonder at the fact that I was able to survive. Not only survive but restart my life and work towards becoming the person I was meant to be.”
What emerges from this process is a collection of songs that delve deep. As with any true self-examination, sadness and doubt emerge. Grief for times and people lost, and the countless small betrayals from both outside and in. But rather than be consumed by the uncertainty and pain, Anjimile finds motivation in the feelings, surfacing with a newfound confidence and determination. There is joy in being able to recognise yourself after so much trauma.
Lead single ‘Maker’ serves as the perfect introduction to this style. A song of both celebration and mourning, the track blends the minimal and the maximal, starting with modest folk rhythms and slowing growing into something altogether richer. Fired by the subtle power of Chithambo’s vocals, the morose questioning of the opening half sees brightness shine through, borrowing retro pop and African influences to eventually become jubilant and empowered.
