The latest single from Annie Dressner finds her in a reflective mood. ‘Black and White’ has a deep sense of sadness at its heart as Dressner shares her memories and feelings about a former partner. As ever, the New York singer-songwriter brings her direct lyricism and storytelling gifts to the subject matter, and there is the sense of of an intimate conversation, set to a beautifully melancholic melody.
Dressner explains the song: “I wrote this song after an encounter with an ex that I had not seen in a decade. It was almost as if no time had passed. I always felt really sad that he would no longer be in my life as he meant a lot to me as a friend, and I often thought that ‘the thing that made me the saddest is I wanted to know you…’ I wrote this song as a reaction to our recent conversation, and I guess I didn’t know how to say it to their face in words, but I’ve said it here and I hope that if they ever hear it, they know I still care and mostly remember the good stuff.”
Dressner didn’t begin playing the guitar until the night of her High School graduation. After that, she began to craft her own songs, often humming her thoughts and personal reflections and the stories of the city around her. Even now, after all these years and three solo studio albums, Dressner’s songs still have the feel of quietly mirroring and responding to her world, an understated and disarming way of tackling thought-provoking themes as if gently humming to herself. Dressner is a mesmerising solo performer and has also collaborated with the likes of David Ford, Polly Paulusma and Matthew Caws. You may have seen her on the festival circuit, winning over new fans at Green Man Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival and Black Deer Festival. Catch her live this autumn and winter – tickets here.
‘Black and White’ is Dressner’s first single since signing for Dharma Records and we can look forward to a new record early next year. While waiting for the new album, check this out.
