Album Review: Tether by Annahstasia

As an artist of Nigerian descent working in a scene often split by genre tags, Annahstasia avoids easy boxes. She folds folk progressions, soul inflection, and subtle jazz voicings that elevate songs.

Courtesy of drink sum wtr.

Annahstasia has been releasing music in small batches since her student days, yet Tether is the first project that gathers the full span of her voice in one place. It blends folk guitar figures, soul‑leaning phrasing, and small‑ensemble touches without letting any element crowd another. Across eleven songs, she shows how soft dynamics can carry real weight when the writing stays clear and the performances feel lived in. Most of the sessions unfolded with the players in a single room rather than behind isolation panels. The choice leaves a gentle room sound that sits between a studio and a living space. Finger snaps and cello scrapes share air with her baritone‑to‑mezzo register, so nothing feels pasted in later. Small breaths and chair shifts remain in the final mix, giving each track a trace of the moment it was captured.

The title points to a connection. The songs weigh how desire, affection, and self‑respect bind people or strain them. Instead of building a single plot, she looks at the same question from different angles: How much freedom can we keep while still caring for one another? Her writing avoids slogans. She often places two plain images side by side and lets the listener draw the link, which suits the record’s patient tempo. “Be Kind” rests on nylon‑string guitar, organ pads, and a voice recorded close to the mic. Tempo drifts with her phrasing until a small woodwind section enters and lifts the song without breaking its calm. Annahstasia treats compassion as a daily habit rather than a grand gesture, and the restrained arrangement makes that idea feel within reach.

“The longer that I stare at this ghetto diamond/I find rare and different/This pile of memories/That was always lying there.”

“Villain” follows with brushed snare, trumpet phrases, and clapped accents that evoke a backyard circle more than a studio drill. The lyric wonders whether anyone stays blameless once the viewpoint shifts. Her delivery stays calm while the chords pivot underneath. The contrast with “Be Kind” highlights the album’s core approach, where it marks emotional shifts through changes in volume and texture, rather than relying on dramatic chorus lifts. “Silk and Velvet” strips the palette even further. Dry cello scratches meet a single kick‑drum pulse, leaving no space to hide. “Satisfy Me” opens the sound again with rolling toms and a loose choir, proving that the album’s quiet surface can accommodate firm rhythm when the writing asks for it.

With “All Is. Will Be. As It Was.,” brings in poet aja monet. Piano chords and guitar strums drift under spoken reflections on survival and interdependence while Annahstasia answers with wordless calls that weave around the poem. The short piece changes the record’s form just long enough to reset the ear, then hands off to the lean final section. “Slow,” a duet with Obongjayar, refreshes the set. His grainy tenor meets her lower range at a quiet point of friction as they trade lines about resisting haste. Guitar and frame drum sketch a gentle groove that never rises above a hush. When their voices finally move in unison, the blend lands hard precisely because it was held back for most of the song.

“Silk and Velvet” strips the palette even further. Dry cello scratches meet a single kick‑drum pulse, leaving no space to hide. “Satisfy Me” opens the sound again with rolling toms and a loose choir, proving that the album’s quiet surface can accommodate firm rhythm when the writing asks for it. However, “Believer” gathers most of the instruments heard so far—hand percussion, electric guitar, brass, and a modest backing group, yet never aims for bombast. Each section adds one layer, then maintains its position. The gradual rise allows her final chorus to land with confidence, while retaining the natural room tone that shapes the record. The song concludes on a sustained chord, leaving room for reflection rather than applause.

Tether excels because it trusts restraint. Engineering choices never compete with songwriting. Breath, string buzz, and minor pitch shifts stay audible, proving the record’s view that care shows in small details, not sheer volume. The only soft point is the mid‑album pacing, yet even that pause supports the larger cycle of tension and release. As an artist of Nigerian descent working in a Los Angeles scene often split by genre tags, Annahstasia avoids easy boxes. She folds folk progressions, soul inflection, and subtle jazz voicings into a style that serves the songs rather than any marketing lane. Tether does not claim to reinvent these traditions. It shows instead that clarity, patience, and a grounded vocal presence can still be surprising and feel urgent. In doing so, it marks a confident first chapter and invites deeper listening to what comes next.

Great (★★★★☆)

Favorite Track(s): “Be Kind,” “Slow,” “All Is. Will Be. As It Was.”