Pool Of Sound - Ana Mae

'Ana Mae' is the work of Liverpool based singer-songwriter Lara Boundy. Coming from Wirral she remembers as a youngster always making a lot of noise and wanting to create as she loved hearing her mum sing songs around the house when she was a kid. The family loved music, as she does, and she spent a lot of time playing alone and making up imaginary worlds, games and songs. Her dad played guitar and she would wake up to hear him playing 'Here Comes The Sun' most mornings when she was little and this made her also want to play the guitar. She recalls that her grandma told her about Nat King Cole when she was about 10, describing his voice as 'velvet' and that his singing made her so happy. This made her want to sing too. Growing up she was awkward and unsure whether she would really ever be able to perform any songs she'd written, but now she feels she's found her sound and it fits right, so is happy to share it.  She appeared at Aigburth Cricket and Bowls Club in 2015 for an album launch from the band 'Bathymetry' where the young singer/guitarist played gentle folk melodies.

Her first single, the self released 'That I Would Do' in October 2020, is a song that shimmers and aches with fragility and longing. Timeless, yet timely, and a reminder that music often shines brightest when its open, unfiltered and honest. We get the impression that she is bleary-eyed and blissfully in love. The dreamy guitar progressions and angelic harmonies radiate a sense of unabashed adoration, with Ana's lingering vocals feeling as hypnotic as the infatuation she sings about. It's a track that feels handcrafted for a lover, radiating a rose-tinted atmosphere that permeates throughout the song and beyond. Her unrushed, glacial stage presence is mirrored here on a track that carries as much misty levitation as masters of the art Mazzy Star. Ana says, "It's basically a new project of songs I've worked on for a while with a sound I've been trying to find. Ghostly jazz dreampop with a doo-wop undertone". As a new project there are no promo shots, no bio, hardly any social media presence, and precious little info but it was certainly a hugely impressive start and it felt that this could be the start of something rather special.

Ana appeared in April 2017 when COW Liverpool presented 'Mad Alice' and guests at Maguire's Pizza Bar where she was described as 'one of the most exciting singer-songwriters in Liverpool at the minute'. The most ambitious Deep Cuts event up to date saw six of the brightest talents from the North West play Liverpool on November 8th 2018, which included Ana Mae. Following this, in July 2019 a group of up and coming local musicians took to the stage at Liverpool Central for Merseyrail Sound Station Live promoting, "dream pop singer songwriter Ana Mae's debut single 'That I Would Do' which is a 60s beat-infused gem. Real name Lara Boundy, the artist is part of Liverpool’s Eggy Records scene based out of Sound Food and Drink. Her luscious dream-pop has been one of the standout features at Eggy Record’s recent Sound Basement showcases."

May 2020 saw 'Gobstopper' as her first release on the Birkenhead-based record label Eggy Records which followed slots at Skeleton Coast and 6 Music Festival in 2019. Here Ana picks up the pace to deliver a generous slice of indie-pop perfection. It is packed with a healthy dose of shimmering guitars and glimmering keys, all topped with sugary sweet vocals and was featured by Dave Monks on his BBC Introducing Radio Merseyside slot on the 9th of May 2020.

 

Ana played one of the very last shows in Liverpool before lockdown in the early months of 2020.  Supporting Manchester-Italian Julia Bardo, she delighted the audience in Studio 2 with her quiet humour and gentle, beautiful songwriting and a voice which again brings with it Mazzy Star comparisons. Her black humour cheered all and she added a playful, slightly mocking tone to her melancholic reflections, giving her songs a refreshing bite, meaning her version of the 'Echo & The Bunnymen' song, 'Killing Moon' could easily have been dispensed with and replaced with another of her own as last year's singles 'Gobstopper' and 'That I Would Do', charm and tug at the heart.  Simply lovely, listening to them makes us swoon at the thought of another gig from her when Liverpool's venue's doors reopen.

She was nominated for Radio 3FACH's Kick Ass Award 2021 'best song,' Journey Of My Heart'. The song started with a demo sent to her from Scandinavia 'down to Switzerland. Hanna Vinter, a Swedish-Finnish songwriter, sends her here and there demos of songs she writes. This idea immediately stuck her ear and she started working on it.

see also:- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2021/09/pool-of-sound-nikki-waves.html