Although it feels much longer than a year, I’ve only been listening to Burr Oak since January of 2023 when I saw them alongside other local greats like Minor Moon and Waltzer celebrating 40 years of the Metro being the greatest venue in all of Chicago. I remember them playing “Pulp Goddess”, a jaunty little number from their 2021 debut record Late Bloomer, and immediately running down to their merch table to procure any shirt they had available. That show got my attention but Late Bloomer made me a fan.
I’ve listened to a metric ton of albums by Chicago bands and I can still firmly state to this day that Late Bloomer is among the best indie rock albums from any artist new or old in our grand local scene. If that statement frightens and alarms you, just listen to songs like “Trying”, “Southsider”, “Flower Garden”, “Around You”, and “I Never Ate With You” to understand what I mean. I basically just listed half the album as mere introductory songs so that should tell you how incredible its full offering truly is. It’s hard to pinpoint just what it is about their moody, evocative, and nostalgia-driven sound that brings me back day after day but I get a certain level of patience and confidence from Burr Oak that I get from only a few other artists like Julia Jacklin, Katy Kirby, and Sun June.
With all that being said, I’ve been waiting over a year to experience the joys of new Burr Oak and I couldn’t be more excited to be reviewing their latest offering Annabelle, a nearly 20-minute five-track concept EP with an overarching narrative that explores the startling new dystopia we find ourselves in after the controversial overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Told through the perspective of one frightened woman named Annabelle, the EP sees her on a vicious journey of self-discovery once she finds out she’s pregnant without the financial means to travel tens of thousands of miles to one of the few states where abortion is still legal in the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Obviously, I wish an EP like this never had to be written as it was only in response to a horrifying and fatal decision made by our Supreme Court, but I can’t lie, going into a new Burr Oak release knowing it would be brimming with anger, sadness, and disgust made me that much more excited because nothing inspires great art like anger, sadness, and complete political disgust.
Annabelle opens with the lead single of the project, “Rainclouds.” Right away you hear how much more confident and flourishing the production is compared to their 2021 debut Late Bloomer. The guitars are soaked with a luscious reverb, the vocals multilayered with various effects, and the drums are introduced in a faint, muffled state before coming in full force for the first chorus. As for an opening song, “Rainclouds” does everything it’s supposed to. It has the swagger and personality of a lead single showing off for the camera when it needs to but without ever being too overwhelming or showy. Contrasting the melancholic instrumentation of “Rainclouds”, the title track to the EP “Annabelle” comes across as much more jangly and even borderline twangy at points introducing this level of color to the Annabelle palette that “Rainclouds” didn’t quite get to. Still unsurprisingly keeping in line with the main lyrical themes of the EP about a “fascist government” controlling a woman’s right to choose, “Annabelle” does still manage to get in some surprises with the final minute and a half of the song leering into some shockingly heavy territory. Building upon a dissonant musical motif introduced earlier in the song, they explore a few different iterations of that for the ending of the song even slowing things down with a crushing half-time drum part that really elevated the song to the next level.
The dissonance continues with the next track, “No Time To Dream”, which sees Burr Oak perhaps at their punkiest bringing back the musical moodiness of “Rainclouds” but with a bit more grit. Lyrically, the song seems to be exploring the aftermath of birth where Annabelle, who didn’t want the baby she was forced to have, is faced with the simple truth that her life has changed and she no longer has the same opportunities she once had; she no longer has time to dream of a brighter tomorrow or fighting for her future goals because she now has someone else that is completely dependent on her day in, day out. If Burr Oak ever had an angrier song, I haven't heard it. I only wish they would have done something more explosive and fiery with the ending than simply fading to black. They brought back the main riff of the song and I was expecting another crushing finale but that’s not quite how it ended up going down. Oh well, it’s still a great song, nevertheless!
Moving onto the latter half of the EP, “Fine, Fine” kicks things off with a style most reminiscent of their 2021 debut, Late Bloomer, than perhaps any other song on the EP. In the vain of songs like “Trying” and “Southsider”, “Fine, Fine” is a fantastic song to accompany you during those contemplative late-night drives with its brooding guitar melodies, driving rhythms, and introspective vocals. It definitely feels like what may become the most underrated song on the album in years to come as it carries itself with a certain understated nature that is very much overpowered by the first three songs on the EP but it’s personally one of my favorites of not only the EP but of their entire discography. Closing out Annabelle, we have the gorgeous and dream-like “Like A Dream”. Much like “Fine, Fine”, “Like A Dream” floats by rather unassumingly but does so while still making a splash with its lush dream pop melodies and sprawling, shoegaze-esque production. While the EP doesn’t end with a literal bang, closing out your new record with some of the most gorgeous melodies you and your band have ever written should be a triumph in anyone’s book, I’d say.
Annabelle is a welcome return to the spotlight for Burr Oak and even though I think it’s an incredibly satisfying five-song EP, I’d be lying if it didn’t leave me wanting more. Whether you see that as a positive or a detractor is up to you but every time I finish a playthrough of the EP, I’m just left wishing there were about 5-6 more songs left to run through. Irregardless of runtime, I think Annabelle is an utter triumph and a piece of art that needed to be made and shared with as many people as possible so we can all get on the same page about the reproductive freedoms that are quickly being snatched away from the uterus-having folks of this country. Be sure to pick this EP up at your local record shop and stream it when it comes out in late September, you will not be sorry! Oh, and please do hit Burr Oak when they’re in town; they put on an amazing live show that is not to be missed!