ANSON – To Be or Nothing at All
ANSON is an alternative-rock band out of Los Angeles, California. The three members of the band have a passion for the emo-rock genre that dominated the early 2000’s music scene. Their goal is to reignite the fire into the old fans of the music while generating a whole new era of fans. With influences such as Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday and Mayday Parade, ANSON comes at you with the same school of meaningful lyrics, irresistible choruses and catchy instrumentals.
ANSON, led by Anson Li (vocals and guitar), released their debut EP, To Be or Nothing at All in September, 2017. This four track EP is one that keeps you wanting more. “To Be or Nothing At All, Li’s brand new EP, reflects on the journey to find his self identity and speaks to the struggles of putting everything on the line to live for your art. To Be or Nothing At All is a testament to the fact, you can’t live your life stuck at the crossroads. It’s the risking leaps in life that make the journey to achieving your dreams worth it.”
To Be or Nothing at All starts off with It’s Alarming, a song that will make you want to play it on repeat. When I first heard the song, I immediately got a Paramore vibe. The instrumentals paired with the catchy chorus gives off the same feeling that Paramore’s sophomore album, Riot! does. Anson Li bellows, “And I know when we fall into the night, I know it’s the feeling that you hide in your heart, shut up and let it go!”
It’s Alarming is followed by the To Be or Nothing at All, the album titled track. This song is by far my favorite song on this debut EP. The contrasting guitar riffs compliment each other so well. Every time I hear this song I can’t help but rock along to it. “I messed up, lost my self control, I doubt I’ll ever pick up the pieces, the flooring just gave out and I’m falling, too late to catch myself, I hit the pavement, sometimes we all need a second to breathe.” This chorus corresponds directly with Li’s words that the EP “reflects on the journey to find his self identity.” Sometimes in order to find yourself you must take the time to breathe and really think about what you want. It’s great to see that Anson Li did not stray away from talking about his personal experiences; the experiences that led to the creation of this EP.
To Be or Nothing at All ends with Sober Living and Hailey. ANSON presents Sober Living as the hardest rock song of the album. The fast paced guitar and drums on this song hook you in from the very beginning. All I can picture when I hear this song is a crowd of tons of people rocking and singing along to every single word. “So I’ll say it again I don’t expect you to understand how I’ve felt all these hours I’ve pretended, So I’ll say it again you came and went, you were never a friend never helped all these hours I attempt, Sober living.” The EP ends on an emotional note with Hailey. The song starts off with a slower, softer tone than the other songs on this EP. I especially like this because it shows that the band does not need fast paced instrumentals to produce a quality song. The raw emotion put forth through the lyrics on Hailey will make listeners fall in love with this band. “Cause I’d kill for you, be whoever you want me to be, I’d bend the truth to keep you here right next to me, Hailey baby, I swear that we can make it it’s true, Hailey baby, how do I get back to you?”
ANSON released their four track debut EP, To Be or Nothing at All with the hopes of capturing the same sound and heart that was predominate in the early 2000’s music scene. I was pumped to hear that they did exactly that! Make sure to check them out with me when they play at Amityville Music Hall on March 8th!