Anjimile Will Release Orchestral Reimagining of EP 'Reunion'

After wowing audiences last year with his evocative, tender LP Giver Taker, Anjimile gives the album new life with Reunion, out 5/7 via Father/Daughter. The EP includes expanded orchestral versions of the songs on the album, lovingly crafted alongside a number of Anjimile's acclaimed musician peers. It's a testament to the community Anjimile is building around himself, and the latest release from a prolific songwriter.

Reunion also speaks to the striking honesty of Anjimile's lyrics and songwriting, and its ability to resonate so deeply, regardless of form. Even when sung from a different mouth and made anew, the music is still distinctly Anjimile's voice.

The first single out today, "In Your Eyes" (Reflection), features Jay Som. On "In Your Eyes" (Reflection), Jay Som takes the vocal lead, accompanied by a wealth of strings and lush vocals. Built out by a sweeping symphony, it's a vibrant reimagining of an already gorgeous tune channeled through Jay Som's own perspective.

"I am very honored to be a part of Anjimile's orchestral EP," says Jay Som. "Their album Giver Taker is so beautiful and expansive and every time I listen I feel like I've entered a different world. This track is one of my favs on their record, I love when artists rework their own songs with an orchestral arrangement."

In addition to vocal features from Lomelda, SASAMI, and Jay Som, the vocals of Justine Bowe (Photocomfort), who sang on Giver Taker, can also be heard on every track on the EP. Composer Daniel Hart, who has worked in both pop music (St. Vincent) and film (Pete's Dragon, A Ghost Story), wrote and recorded the string section of Reunion by carefully translating the tracks' original emotive qualities into orchestral arrangements.

"Giver Taker is one of my favorite albums of 2020, so I was thrilled to be asked to contribute a little something to this EP," Hart says. "And when I dug into Jimi's writing further, figuring out how best to translate it for strings, what I found was a group of songs bursting with joy and passion and good questions and heartache. Then the work was easy, because it was so much fun to do."

For Anjimile, Reunion offered a new way to bridge the gap between each of our personal experiences. After hearing each of his collaborators' takes on his music, he was struck by their unique interpretations. To him, these reimaginings are a sort of reunion between himself and these musicians, a chance to connect in these strange times through art itself.

"The most exciting part of this project for me was giving the participating artists free reign to f around with my songs and make them into something purely collaborative, something special, and something new," Anjimile shares. "When Daniel sent me his arrangements, they knocked me on my ass. They're so beautiful and so interesting, and every guest vocalist on this record creates such a beautiful new world and a distinctive sonic palette. It's been really fun and exciting to see my tunes re-interpreted, re-imagined and reconstructed by such powerful musicians."

Listen to "In Your Eyes (Reflection)" here:

Photo Credit: Anjimile by Omari Spears, Daniel Hart by Zoe-Ruth Erwin, Jay Som by Lisa Laricchia for Interview Mag

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