Anna Burch is a musician based in Detroit who has been playing  guitar/bass in bands such as Frontier Ruckus and Failed Flowers—until recently, when Anna announced that she would be embarking on a new solo journey, starting with an upcoming album to be released through Polyvinyl Records. I had the chance to work with Anna recently (I directed an upcoming music video), and I wanted to find out more about her and her new single "2 Cool 2 Care”, so I decided to go straight to the source. 

Hey Anna! It was so great meeting you and being able to work with you in LA. Can you tell us a little bit about what it's like venturing off as a solo artist, since you've been in so many other bands as a guitarist/bassist before?

Thanks, Ambar! I had so much fun shooting with you and the crew and I can't wait to see the finished video for the next single! Being a solo artist is definitely new territory for me after being a supporting member in other bands for the past 12 (!) years. There's a lot more anxiety attached to performing and putting my songs/myself out there, but the rewards are greater, too. I had never had much creative input in any of the other projects I was involved with, so it feels really fulfilling to be getting good and thoughtful responses to my first solo release. Also, having a label like Polyvinyl on board is a dream. 

What are you most looking forward to with the new album?

I'm most looking forward to just having it out in the world! Even though I only started writing my first songs relatively recently—about three years ago—it took a long time for the album to come together. I had moved to Detroit from Chicago, and shortly after that I started writing these songs and began taking trips back and forth to record with my friend Paul Cherry. We recorded in about four different Chicago apartments with our friends throughout the course of two years, while I was still touring heavily across the US and in the UK/Europe with Frontier Ruckus. Things had kind of reached a standstill with the project when I was introduced to engineer/producer Collin Dupuis, who helped bring the album to completion by re-tracking a few songs with the band I had been playing shows with in Detroit, then mixing the record this past spring. Things have been moving fairly quickly ever since, thanks to Polyvinyl, but I'm very ready to share these songs—and the next video!

The video for "2 Cool 2 Care" was directed by yourself, and you had a hand in a lot of the process. What was the inspiration to the narrative playing throughout the video?

The first idea that came to my mind for the “2 Cool 2 Care" video was the shot of me hula-hooping in slow motion, framed so close that at first it's not quite clear what I'm doing, and then having a really smooth zoom out revealing the hula hoop and even further revealing this guy just lounging by a pool, not paying attention to the sort of pathetic seduction. I wound up editing in footage of the hula hoop earlier than I had originally intended so it disrupts the surprise a bit, but I think the effect is still really nice. I filled in the rest of the narrative around that image. I liked the idea of having it be this chase between the city and the suburbs. There's a line in the song, "spacing out again at your suburban retreat", that the concept hinges on.

AN:Where was this shot?

AB: The video was shot in Detroit, starting in the morning at my former apartment in Corktown, with the pool scenes taking place in one of the surrounding suburbs, and finally across the bridge to Belle Isle on Detroit's east side as the sun is setting. Within the narrative of the video you're supposed to believe that I biked about 80 miles following this dude. I wanted the video to be fun and somewhat tongue in cheek, but also to highlight the sincere frustration of wanting someone who can't really be bothered.

AN:Do you have any advice for anyone in a similar place you were feeling who may be in a 2 cool 2 care situation?

AB: I don't know if anyone in that situation is very receptive to advice! Try to like yourself more. See a therapist if you can afford it, surround yourself with good friends you can trust, quit drinking for a while, date someone nice. Write a song about it.

Find Anna on Instagram, Twitter, or Soundcloud.