Serving a smooth array of genres throughout any release, singer-songwriter and A Cappella artist Summer Winter releases a conceptual 10-track sophomore album entitled 'A Cappella American Anxiety.'
Through each of her releases, Summer Winter strives to serve a necessary message, which listeners can fully grasp through her latest album, 'A Cappella American Anxiety,' a parody album surrounding the American millennial with common anxiety. The record opens with the introductory track, "Anxiety." Even though Summer Winter mentioned that this album takes on a parody approach, she still manages to swoon us with her beautiful harmonies and vocal rhythm. Inspired by Frankie Valli's dramatic vocals, this song offers a nod to one's ongoing anxiety with no end in sight.
Moving into track number two, "Wish I Was Bilingual," Summer Winter mentioned that this song pays tribute to her many different backgrounds while wishing she could be more well-versed in her cultural roots. With an incredibly haunting vocal performance, Summer Winter leads us into the next track, "Everyone's on Drugs." While Summer Winter touches on how modern America is heavily medicated, prescribed or not, she makes the experience all the more memorable with her playful yet also haunting vocal stylings.
Scatting her way into the next tune, "Sick Puppy," Summer Winter offers another playful approach while singing about her dog, who happened to be sick one day. We must mention the vocal prowess that Summer Winter holds in the album, especially as she moves into the next song, "Telephone." A song that touches embracing one's silence, Summer Winter offers her alluring vocal stylings while expanding on the modern telephone that makes our world go round. Landing on "Shoes Upstairs," this song gives us a good belly laugh through its theme that touches on her parents' 'nice things' that would soon be ruined with the four children that would predictably run amuck.
Feeling frustrated with the unrealistic beauty stands that our internet holds, Summer Winter leads us into "Internet Girl" while expanding on the trials and tribulations that social media grants us. Moving into a playful and warm song, "Watermelon Soul," Summer Winter offers a hilarious tribute to those who are dead inside and don't take the time to smell the roses.
Offering another humorous tribute to the internet girls with "Felt Groovy, Won't Delete Later," Summer Winter wrote this track with sappy nods to her ex-boyfriend while embracing her inner power and confidence once again. Jumping into the last track of the album with "Attention Span," a heavily covered subject throughout this record, Summer Winter reflects on the many aspects that trigger her anxiety while not being able to focus with all the exterior noise society makes.
Overall, we were able to share many laughs with Summer Winter through her 10-track sophomore album, 'A Cappella American Anxiety.' We adored tracks like "Internet Girl," "Everyone's on Drugs," and "Attention Span," as they perfectly encapsulate millennial and generation z modern America while punching us in the gut with playful nods to ongoing anxiety. Find Summer Winter's album, 'A Cappella American Anxiety,' on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic Summer Winter, and congratulations on releasing your parody a cappella record, 'A Cappella American Anxiety.' What inspired you to create an album based around modern America and millennial anxiety?
Thank you! The creation of this album was mostly out of necessity. I was looking for answers and trying to understand the deep inconsistencies and paradoxes of "the freest country in the world" and "the most medicated and depressed country in human history". I used the lens and aperture that had been given to me at the time. I think a lot of artists create from a place of curiosity. We have these deep questions and holes in our hearts that we look to fill with music or paint or sparkles or whatever artists use. It's necessary to create so we can get answers, or moments of relief – dare I say justice. Basically – my broken millennial heart wanted some damn answers.
How did your producers within 'A Cappella American Anxiety' help bring your ideas and visions to life? How was your collaborative experience with them?
Before I even stepped foot in a real studio, I was connected with an incredible arranger named Kaitlin Wolfberg. She's also a highly skilled violinist, which made her the perfect fit to dissect hundreds of intricate vocal parts. I swear half of our sessions were therapy! She taught me that silence is golden, patience is necessary, and reminded me that less is more. This album would not be what it is without her meticulous care and crafts(woman)ship. The time we spent geeking out over how many layers we could stack in a track helped me to feel prepared in the recording booth when I got to Jenga Productions. My three producers at Jenga – Nicci, Shay, and Jim – were the culmination of a manifestation letter I wrote to myself while searching for a production team! Among other things, they were absolutely hilarious, (laughing is important to me) genuinely cared about the album, and were productively constructive. They taught me how to work smarter, not harder. A bonus: Nicci had released an acappella song herself and regularly coached students as a vocal coach. Tracking AAA was one of the brightest highlights of my life, and all four of these humans helped make it so.
Which track within 'A Cappella American Anxiety' is your favorite and why? Why does this track resonate with you the most?
This is like asking a parent to choose a favorite child! On certain days, I love different ones more. And while I'm generally partial to the firstborn, being one myself, some of the songs crafted later turned out to be my favs. Sick Puppy, written pretty early on and then re-written, has a special place in my heart because it's so goofy. The character voice I sang in allowed me to hit notes and runs I can't usually do, and I just really love my dog. The last song I wrote for the album was Attention Span. I knew I needed a final song to tie everything together, but I couldn't focus on how to do it, so I wrote about it! I love the melody and changes that happen throughout the track and when I listen to the album in order, it feels like a nice send-off. Ironically, singing the lead part while stomping out the percussion is pretty challenging for my brain to comprehend. Maybe it was my little way of seeing if I could keep up and focus.
What did you want your audience to take away from the highly conceptual yet humorous record, 'A Cappella American Anxiety?'
I certainly wasn't hoping for "highly conceptual", but I'll take it! I think I wanted it to be "highly accessible." In my manifestation letter, (admittedly a pitch letter for my producers) I expressed the need to sing about my pain. I told them something like, "Life is really fckin hard and beautiful, so let's laugh and sing about it." My greatest hope is that people listen to this album and think, "OMG I totally know what she's talking about. This is so weird and random and specific, but I relate to this, I feel seen."
Do you usually create parody-like projects like 'A Cappella American Anxiety?' Or is this your first time delving into satire?
Although AAA is a whole other level of satirical music on steroids, most of my work leans in the direction of self-awareness. There's something really comfortable to me about smiling through the pain. (Admittedly, it's also an incredible hiding device.) I often feel like the lens of satire is a stronger microscope to look at human behavior because when people laugh, they're open. I've made a promise to myself to be more "serious" on my third album, whatever that means. Perhaps that journey will require a lot more courage, and I look forward to the challenge of creating and releasing music without the crutch of humor.
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