Introducing Interview: The Anatomy Of Frank

With the distinct, and ambitious, aim to create an album for every continent in the world, Virginia-based trio The Anatomy Of Frank‘s latest offering South America is set for release in September.

Now, about to venture across the pond and treat the UK to their rich, indie-rock soundscapes, we caught up with The Anatomy Of Frank to find out more…

Hey guys, how are you today?
Good. Tired. Good and tired.

Can you please introduce yourselves to our readers? 
We’re a band with wanderlust and a hope to record an album for (and on) every continent. Two of us live in Virginia, I live in the northern woods of Vermont.

Why did you decide to call yourselves The Anatomy of Frank?
In 2009 I was doing astrophysics work in this underground laboratory in the mountains of West Virginia. I basically stared at a computer screen all day – it drove me crazy because I’m a pretty hyper guy, so at one point I made a list of band names. I have no idea where ‘The Anatomy of Frank’ came from, but it’s come to signify a sort of dissection of the human experience.

Can you tell us a bit about what your new album South America is all about?
We have unleashed the quieter side of our sound with this album. It’s a bit of a dumping of everything heavy in my soul over the last four years. It’s all about relationships with parents, the bittersweetness of aging, mortality, and love.

How did you guys meet?
I ran into Jimmy in a record store in 2010 and liked the shape of his nose (no joke), so I approached him and asked if he played keyboards. He said he did, and I asked him if he’d like to join a band and go on tour all summer. He said yes. Max came along a while later – he was living in Baltimore and came down for an audition, and we dug him, so he became part of the band.

What inspired your new single ‘Holy Mountain’?
‘Holy Mountain’ was written really quickly as a sort of outpouring. We had a bandmate at the time who attempted suicide, and the emotional strain really took a toll on me. The song was a way of dealing with that time period.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Sufjan Stevens and The Antlers, would you say they’re fair comparisons?
Totally. I decided in high school that I wanted to record albums for the continents, and then my friend showed me Sufjan’s fifty states project. It gave me a jumpstart and made me believe I could really accomplish it – plus I was really into orchestra and folk, and he does a lot of inventive stuff with that. The Antlers’ Hospice came along in college and devastated me. The lyrics are so brutally crushing, which opened up a whole world for me as well.

You’re playing some UK shows soon! Can you tell our readers when and where?
Yes! We’ll be at Wilderness Festival AND Camp Bestival, but our London appearance is on 2 August at Paper Dress Vintage.

Huge thanks to The Anatomy Of Frank for answering our questions!

South America, the new album from The Anatomy Of Frank, is out on 1 September via Polar Islands. And you can catch the band live:

27 – 30 July – Camp Bestival – Lulworth Castle, Dorset
31 July – Castle Hotel – Manchester
2 August – Paper Dress Vintage – London
3 August – Wilderness Festival – Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire

Mari Lane

Mari Lane

Editor, London. Likes: Kathleen Hanna, 6Music, live music in the sunshine. Dislikes: Sexism, pineapples, the misuse of apostrophes.