In January of 2024, Annalies Tang sprang out of nowhere to drop a 4-song ska EP. I mean, technically, they sprang out of Lansing, Michigan, but seemingly, they came from nowhere. Those 4 songs were incredibly unique. The lead singer, Annalies Tang, whom the band is named after and is originally from China, had almost no knowledge of ska music, and that background allowed the music to feel completely distinct from everything else on the scene. The band was willing to stray from strict ska rhythms and explore more of the spaces of ska adjacency with a distinctly Asian influenced viewpoint. That 4-song EP was titled “Disappearing Act”, which went on to feel more like foreshadowing than an actual album name. After about 2 months, the band almost completely disappeared. They didn’t play live shows- their social media presence nearly dried up. The band vanished as quickly as they appeared.
In January of 2026, they played their first-ever live show, opening for the Toasters ‘ 45th anniversary show. The few posts they did make in 2025 hinted at recording more new music. Now, at the end of July, nearly two and a half years later, they have released their debut full-length album- the self-titled Annalies Tang!
The album establishes itself perfectly with the intro to the opening track- nearly a minute of acoustic guitar and spoken word- a spiritual message about letting go of negative feelings and emotions. As “Heaven’s Mirror” picks up from the intro, it feels much more upbeat and even fast-paced in comparison. Annalies Tang has beautiful vocals, the horns accent the song beautifully, and the ska rhythm on the guitar feels light and pleasant. This is such a good first track for capturing the energy of the band, with some outstanding guitar riffs, great keyboard for texture throughout the song, and some nice tempo building led through the drums.
“Crystal tears”, the second track on the album, starts off slower and sultrier, with a thick bass line that feels a little reminiscent of big band music. The subtle drum beat rising along with the vocals, leading to the brass section, has such a classic elegance.
From there the album slips into “Emo Texas Shuffle”, which has yet a third distinct sound to it. Unlike the previous track, we’ve moved back towards the realm of ska, but the primary ska rhythm in this track is on the keys, not the guitar- and borrowing from the previous song, the bass line is more in the foreground. The vocal melody is slower than the instrumental melody, making the song feel a little slower, but the rhythm has a nice pulse to it that raps your toes a little quicker. This is probably the first song on the album where we get to appreciate more of the chops from the vocals and louder, longer held notes, and as the song progresses, the rhythm keeps picking up, the drums, the guitars, the keys, everything coming together to build and hold tension in what is ultimately a romance song.
The tempo kicks up for the first ska punk song on the album in “Mrs. Sbidee”. It’s so singsong and catchy, and yet it reminds me of the Skalars- a late 90s ska band that had some amazing tracks. I love the diversity in these first four songs, but this one is the one that really awakens my senses. The others all excel at what they do, but “Mrs. Sbidee” makes me want to make and dance.
My two favorite songs on the album are both from 2024’s EP. The band included all 4 tracks from the previous EP, and I loved all four. Including them on the album helped me to realize that the songs from the album are absolutely on par with the EP, but “Jasmine Tea” and “Emilio” are just such incredible songs that they remain my two favorites.
The back half of the album has some incredible songs as well, ending with three incredible new tracks. ”Her and I” is a fun track that ties the other 10 tracks together, weaving lyrics from the other songs into a beautiful, cohesive story, and “Farewell Words” is good enough that they released it as the lone single for the album with a video, and it closes strong with “Jelly” as a great send-off.
Honestly, with Annalies Tang pulling a disappearing act and their previous label going under, I didn’t expect to ever hear from them again, and it made me disappointed. I was really excited by their debut and thought it was another great band that failed to sustain itself in this difficult musical landscape. I am so excited to have a full album, and it pretty much lived up to my expectations. It diverged a little from where I thought it would go, and there are fewer political songs than I might have expected (Jasmine Tea has political themes about white Western patriarchy, specifically as it pertains to the fetishization of Asian women). I am so excited to see that Annalies Tang is not just back, but seemingly ready to continue their growth.
Written by Gimp Leg
