Artist: Eric Anders: Vocals and Mark O’Bitz: Acoustic and electric guitar, keys and piano; Mike Butler: Bass, lap steel, mandolin and keys; Ben Moore: Keys; John O’Reilly Jr.: Drums; and Jenn Grinels: Backing vocals

Album: ‘Answers Belie;’ Release Date: June 24, 2023 on digital platforms, courtesy of Baggage Room Records; Produced and Mixed by: Mike Butler; Mastered by Jamal Ruhe.

Crafting sentimental songs that equally challenge and gratify listeners isn’t always an easy and natural process for musicians. But singer-songwriter Eric Anders and his longtime collaborator, guitarist-composer Mark O’Bitz, powerfully created astonishingly emotional and relatable tunes on their newly released adult alternative album as a duo, ‘Answers Belie.’ The seven-track acoustic indie rock record features meaningful lyrics and seasoned song craftsmanship that chronicle the journey for meaning while speaking truth to power through poetic disobedience.

Anders and O’Bitz have been releasing a prolific stream of new music, and showcasing their ever-expanding depth of emotion and conceptual impact, since they unveiled their debut LP as a duo, ‘Of All These Things,’ in 2018. The folk-rock Bay Area group is continuing their conscious musical evolution with their haunting and thought-provoking new album.

‘Answers Belie’ begins with the thought-provoking opening entry, ‘Slow Movin’ Nightmare,’ which serves as an elegy for American democracy. Backed by soulful guitar riffs and drum beats, Anders brings attention to the all-too-important message that the government has broken down so much it’s too far gone in many respects to be repaired. He croons about how citizens have lost so many of their individual rights that they’ll never truly be free again. He has had so many nightmares over the loss of freedom that he’s worried for the rights of future generations

‘Answers Belie’ then transitions into its sophomore track, ‘Force of Old,’ which showcases the duo’s complex versatility as musicians. Driven by gritty country rock guitar riffs, the lyrics contemplate how much more fighting society can bear. Anders croons that he’s heard that a war is coming, and it may be so uncivil that it won’t be like any other fighting that the world has ever seen. The relatable lyrics, which note how the widescale fighting weighs on the singer, make the tune a perfect song to play in a tense film scene set against two warring sides.

A true standout entry on ‘the duo’s new record is its fourth entry, ‘The Hardest Lesson,’ which forgoes the political theme of its preceding tracks. It instead features Anders returning to what was a common theme for the lyrics of his first three LPs, before he met and married his wife in 2005: the repetition of dysfunctional relationships.

The musician effortlessly resumes his past signature poetic examination into how people truly contemplate the obstacles of their romantic connections on the tune, which is driven by intriguing drum and guitar rhythms. The song emphasizes that the longer people work on perfecting their romantic connection, the easier it will be for them to connect with their true partner.

The best entry on ‘Answers Belie’ is its seventh and final track, ‘I Hope Time Will be Kind,’ which is an ode to Anders’ three children. In his expression of the universal fear of growing old and no longer being able to completely protect his kids, he passionately expresses his fear that the world is getting worse for future generations. Between the negative impacts of wars and the rightward drift of world politics, the singer shares his hope that he can protect them for as long as he can, as he fondly remembers their lives up until this point. His emotional expressions of hoping they can continue to thrive is supported by the emotionally palpable backing of the drums, keys and guitar.

Crafting sentimental tunes that equally challenge and gratify listeners isn’t always an easy and natural process for musicians. But Anders and O’Bitz stunningly created astonishingly emotional and relatable songs on their newly released adult alternative album. ‘Answers Belie features meaningful lyrics that prove the two musicians are determined to find their place in the world, especially amongst the increase in limitations placed on individual freedom by wars and the rightward drift of world politics.

For more information on Anders and O’Bitz, visit the duo’s official website, as well as its Spotify, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages.