“Baptized by a pedophile/ In a church that reeks of oak and death” is the opening line of Annie DiRusso’s new EP, “God, I Hate This Place” (2023). While it might shock new listeners, fans who have heard her past singles know that this line is classic Annie DiRusso.
Annie DiRusso’s musical genre may be summed up in three quick words: sad-girl indie rock. Though reductive, the description holds; DiRusso confronts difficult emotions, frequently discussing toxic relationships and self-doubt with a raw emotionality. Still, DiRusso describes these situations with charming touches of humor, as fully capable of roasts as she is of self-deprecation. “I’d like to key your car/ But I don’t know where it is or you are/ I’ll bet it’s a ‘93 Corolla” she sings about an ex on her 2020 single “Judgements from the World’s Greatest Band,” before immediately adding “But if you asked I’d be right there to hold ya,” never fully straying from sincerity.
DiRusso’s newest EP, her first full-length project after years of releasing singles, sees the singer at the peak of her deadpan storytelling as she describes a timeline of moments where she gave in to toxic mindsets throughout her life, struggling to find a sense of comfort where she is. “This EP takes place all over the country, in all different periods of my life but the place I can’t escape in my own head remains the same through out,” DiRusso wrote in an Instagram post announcing the EP’s release.
The style of the songs provides an appropriate backdrop for her lyrical style and musings on home. The songs are composed with straightforward, catchy rock riffs that come across as lived in but not overly mired in distortion. DiRusso’s vocals are powerful and steady, but the melodies seem ready to be screamed at concerts.
The album starts off with a trip to DiRusso’s hometown in “Emerson,” as she struggles to find a sense of comfort with her past. DiRusso, 23 and a recent college graduate, captures the experience of revisiting her childhood home after moving out. “I don’t know what kind of twisted hold/ My childhood bedroom has on me” DiRusso sings. The track is accompanied by a music video on a set modeling her childhood bedroom. “Guess I’ve never escaped me for too long/ Guess I’ve only ever been who I was” DiRusso sings, deftly summing up the EP.
“Body,” the second track on the album, sees the songwriter’s definition of place shrink, as she describes having a fraught relationship with her own body throughout her life. DiRusso is defiant in the face of imposed standards on the track, describing looking back at her insecurities at 13 as “things that don’t matter now,” while later acknowledging that she still has the same thoughts today. The track’s self-awareness is refreshingly realistic, with a complexity that many songs on the topic of body image don’t offer.
“Frisco Forever” describes being unable to escape depression in the wake of a breakup. The imagery of the track is a highlight of the album, describing the trappings of a slump in intimate but relatable detail: “Put on my last clean pair of underwear/ The ones I hate.”
“Nauseous” serves as a foil to “Frisco Forever,” describing futile attempts at post-breakup self-improvement; “I cleaned my room for you!” DiRusso screams in the final chorus.
The closing song, “Hybrid,” is a departure from the brighter, rock sounds on the EP with fuzzy guitar crescendos at the chorus. Lyrically, the song does not provide any closure. DiRusso writes, “I held on way too long/ I’ll hold on,” never resolving contradictory thoughts and instead sitting with the strength of her desires.
In some senses, the EP is a coming-of-age project, with DiRusso finding a sense of perspective to look back on her past experiences. However, it also rejects the idea that growth must mean reinventing oneself. By the end of “God, I Hate This Place,” DiRusso accepts her baggage, messy childhood bedroom and all.
DiRusso will be touring for the EP on her God, I Love This Tour tour, including a show at The Sinclair in Cambridge, Mass. on May 7.
