New Mexico Anchor & Braille

• 1 Drive 01:36
• 2 Sweet Jesus Knows 03:08
• 3 Stones 02:47
• 4 Corrales 04:37
• 5 Rattlesnake 03:07
• 6 Sozo 01:55
• 7 Slow Burn 03:37
• 8 Real Life 03:08
• 9 Time Is Cruel 03:30
• 10 Sozo Dos 01:56
• 11 The Weight Of 1917 04:13
• 12 Backlands 03:39
• 13 Uninvited 04:27
• 14 Sozo Tres 02:03
• Total Runtime 43:43

Info zu New Mexico

NEW MEXICO is a 14-track collection inspired by Christian’s time living in Corrales, New Mexico, a place that left an indelible mark on him, both spiritually and artistically. The album explores themes of longing, faith, and resilience, blending cinematic spaghetti Western sounds with indie rock intimacy.

It follows years of personal growth and reflection and serves as a heartfelt tribute to a place that continues to shape Christian’s journey. “I didn't realize how much it became a part of me when I was there,” he reflects. “So even though I moved back to Florida in 2018, I have a huge affinity for New Mexico—I want to eventually move back, and I told my wife that I'm going to die there someday. I just fell in love with it. This entire record is based around that four-year experience of being there. I just absorbed the culture there, and it will always be a part of me.”

To that extent, NEW MEXICO is Christian leaving his past behind by immersing himself in it, both physically and emotionally. It’s an album that looks back as it steps forward, and which sees Christian reconcile the two as he relives his memories from there in the here and now. Doing so not only helped him in his personal journey of healing but also gave him one of the most rewarding recording experiences of his career.

That’s why, even after leaving, Christian has decided to pay tribute to New Mexico on the fifth Anchor & Braille full-length, not only named after the state but capturing its heart and soul.

The project launched with the lead single “Sweet Jesus Knows,” a raw and electric dive into the chaos of fleeting moments and high-stakes connections. This intensity sets the stage for an album framed by the voice of Christian’s father, a lifelong cowboy fan, whose cinematic spaghetti Western narration opens and closes the record, guiding listeners through a deeply personal and reflective journey. From the atmospheric opener “Drive” to the hopeful pulse of “Rattlesnake,” the album weaves together diverse styles from punk and post-punk to electronic pop-rock and desert rock while exploring themes of healing, transformation, and resilience.

Tracks like “The Weight of 1917” blend past and future sounds, while the trio of “SOZO Uno,” “SOZO Dos,” and “SOZO Tres” offers themes of healing tied to Christian’s move to New Mexico. The album captures the contradictions of darkness and light, past and present, home and loss, reflecting soul-searching. The cinematic spaghetti Western soundscape blends seamlessly with intimate indie rock, anchoring each song in place, memory, and a profound search for peace.

Anchor & Braille

Anchor & Braille
is the solo project of singer/songwriter Stephen Christian. While writing for his rock band Anberlin (which released 7 albums and sold over 1 million records before disbanding in 2014), Christian would often create songs that didn’t fit the band’s aesthetic. The result was an alias and an outlet for the content: Anchor & Braille.

As Christian’s library of songs would accumulate he’d release an Anchor & Braille record, each one reflecting his current musical interests. Felt, his first release, oozed indie rock. Then The Quiet Life, a record focused on instrumentation. His third release, Songs For The Late Night Drive Home, illuminated the beauty of simplicity in song structure. His newest record, Tension, is all about ease.

It’s Christian’s most effortless project to date, the ease of which manifests into the record’s tone. Tension coaxes the listener to feel the same freedom Christian felt while writing it, departing from the rock genre he’s known for in an effort to pursue more pop driven sensibilities. Intended as a reprieve from life’s burdens, Tension is a true reflection Christian’s current appetite for fun.

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet