This year has been an epic year for indie rock, especially for newer acts on the rise. When we first heard the early singles from Detroit’s Ann Burch, we were pretty hooked from the first notes. When we heard her latest album Quit The Curse, we couldn’t get enough of her catchy indie rock sound. Mixing early doo wop melodies with traditional indie rock, her music is as if Mary Lou Lord and Lomelda made a record together. With twee underpinnings, Burch could be an artist you’ll adore as well from the earliest notes.

The album’s opener “2 Cool 2 Care” has these fun progressions that have elements of bedroom pop, but it’s pure indie rock. This continues with the alternative Brit pop sounds of “Tea-Soaked Letter,” where Burch almost channels sounds from acts like Six Pence None The Richer and The Cranberries. Keep in mind, this isn’t a lift as Burch has such a sound that’s all her own, that each track should have you hearing multiple influences as the songs stride along. Burch ups her game on “Asking 4 a Friend,” with the slow and distant opening with her vocals chiming in with an almost disaffected tone, while still having moments of endearment.

While the pop stained notes of the early tracks on the album work so well, the true magic of the release comes in deeper cuts like “Quit the Curse,” the slow and almost country tinged notes of “Belle Isle,” and the meandering guitar and soft vocals of “In Your Dreams.” It’s the first album of 2018 that we found ourselves loving each and every track, for multiple reasons. The songs all feel very present, but still remind you of the past at the same time. The album’s closer, “With You Every Day” is definitely the strongest track of the album. Burch doesn’t hurry into the chorus, complete with a serpentine guitar while her vocals lift higher than on some of the other tracks, and her use of backing vocals are simply stunning. It’s easy for us to say, that Quit the Curse is one of our favorite albums of 2018, and a contender for a top ten release of the year.

You can stream Quit the Curse on all streaming platforms, or you can purchase it from all digital storefronts, or directly from Polyvinyl Records. Anna Burch is set to begin her Fall tour tonight at MOTR in Cincinnati with fellow label mate Fred Thomas, and will run all the way until November 11 at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her full list of tour dates can be accessed here.

Image Credits: Photo by Ebru Yildiz.