Any Other, the project of Italian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Adele Altro, will release a new album called stillness, stop: you have a right to remember on January 26 through 42 Records. They say their new album is them trying to be “as honest as possible”, and new single “Awful Thread” certainly cuts right to the bone in that regard.
Any Other explains: “It’s about my realisation that they haven’t been good parents, let’s say, most of the time. They’ve made me feel out of place for a really long time – so now I’m going through this phase of healthy-ish anger in which I’m like “hey you’ve been actually lucky to have me as a son/daughter/whatever and you still managed to fuck it up””.
It is quite unusual and stark to hear someone affirming their own self worth in such a bruised and painful way, but it makes “Awful Thread” glow through the greyness. The track starts as a minimal dirge, with Any Other singing openly of jagged emotions that arise when thinking about family – especially those who don’t accept you for who you are – bitterly admitting: “And this will be just something I will laugh about”. As we follow their sighing through “Awful Thread”, their justifiable anger starts to blossom through ribbons of violin, more piano and a growing vocal presence that transmits unabashed beauty. In turn, this cyclicly gives Any Other strength to outright say to their parents: “You have no respect for the luck you were given”. Deeply personal but universally powerful, “Awful Thread” feels like an arrival moment for Any Other.
Listen to “Awful Thread” below or find it on streamers.
Any Other’s new album stillness, stop: you have a right to remember arrives on January 26 through 42 Records (pre-order). You can find Any Other/Adele Altro on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
