The new EP Different Now by Kitchener-based musician Anxiety Weekend contains a set of chill tracks that pair well with long car rides.
When I first met the artist behind the project, Joe Daniel, he was mostly performing rap music as Palmreader and releasing instrumental music as Anxiety Weekend.
Different Now marks a focused shift in a particularly tranquil and contemplative direction. It’s also the first Anxiety Weekend project containing vocal performances on each individual track.
In Different Now the artist’s ability to craft a hook pairs well with his sensibility for muffled, baroque-ish pop music.
The guitars on “Vexed” sincerely remind me of my favourite songs by The Cure, and the synths and percussion sprinkled throughout are tasteful, intricate and unique.
The shift in focus from Palmreader to Anxiety Weekend is also one that pairs well with the artists’ demeanor. The style of music represented by Anxiety Weekend is less guarded and bombastic than that of its braggadocious, hip-hop counterpart.
This dynamic relays personal growth through form, creating a more well-rounded view of who the artist is as a human.
I am looking forward to whatever I hear next from Anxiety Weekend, or anything else Joe has in the works.
He also runs Cemetery Sound and moderates a pretty dope Discord server for like-minded creatives in the area and accross the continent.
Check out the newest release from Anxiety Weekend, streaming now on all platforms.