It's snowing in Buckinghamshire

Buy now: found.ee/AsWeOnceWere

I woke up this morning in the middle of yet another heatwave feeling a bit like Christmas came early.

No, there wasn’t an unexpected flurry of early snow in south Buckinghamshire but there was, lo and behold, a rare lovely review on Pitchfork, the VERY influential American music website that is notorious for being VERY harsh and a hard master to please when it comes to music reviews.

To have even been reviewed at ALL on Pitchfork is in and of itself an achievement for a UK act. They ignored the likes of the incredibly feted Self Esteem until her third album (and then gave it a kicking of a 4.8 score). As someone who doesn’t even have an American press person, I had long ago given up on ever being admitted through its hallowed doors, even if it was for a critical dressing down…

So, I was heartened and relieved to see ‘As We Once Were’ receive a really thoughtful, detailed, and flattering review from Hannah Jocelyn today which you can read in full here: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-anchoress-as-we-once-were/

It’s enormously flattering when a critic spends this much time and care getting to know and understand the album that you have made. If you caught sight of me this morning, you might forgive the wide smile that I had on my very sleep deprived face.

I spent many of my teenage and university years poring over the reviews on Pitchfork and its ilk, in an age when online music media could really make or break an artist, it was both a bible of sorts to someone who worshipped at the altar of alternative music, as well as a navigational map to what I should be listening to.

Most of it was achingly cool. A word I have never felt in my entire life. So to have finally been given the stamp of approval is a real FEELING indeed for the girl who grew up hanging on every word that was dished out by the Pitchfork critical team, and discovered bands like Mountain Goats and Songs: Ohia /Jason Molina via its pages.

(Actual footage of how uncool I am in HMV on Oxford Street)

LET’S HIT THE HOME RUN?

The record has been racking up a veritable sea of four-star reviews last week and this, and I never take it for granted in a world where the media is shrinking at an alarming rate and there’s fewer and fewer opportunities than ever to have your music platformed by humans to an engaged and invested audience.

I’ve always lived and died by the critical acclaim that my records have garnered. We’ve never had any meaningful marketing budget to spread the word about The Anchoress, so every bit of success I have had has been laid on the foundations of discerning music lovers trusting the well crafted words of music critics that have almost always been so incredibly kind about the sonic worlds I have built.

We might not have the economic or industry power of any of the major label releases this week, and we are up against quite a few, but a little bird tells me that we have shifted many, many thousands of physical records & CDs direct to you, the fan, that are due to be chart reported tomorrow. While we have no chance in the main chart which is strongly dictated by streaming numbers and old albums like Michael Jackson and Fleetwood Mac, this does put us in a VERY strong position for the physical and independent charts this Friday. Ian said he would eat his hat if we don’t land a couple of high spots this week. But it’s a close run race.

If you haven’t yet bought a copy of the album yet, please consider grabbing one here before the end of Thursday.

Perhaps you might even want to splash out for the very lovely signed transparent burgundy vinyl (exclusive to indie record shops) which might be the prettiest of all the vinyl variants. Nomrman Records have stock, Resident have stock here, and Piccadily Records have it in stock here, all available to order online.

The gorgeous 2CD media book (with 16 bonus tracks, line notes and scans from my studio notebooks) or a VERY cute origami cassette.

If you are feeling generous then perhaps another copy of the CD for a discerning friend that you know would just LOVE the world that the record takes you into?

Last Night From Glasgow also have a very small number of the ltd edition white label 12” and every other format here: https://shop.lastnightfromglasgow.com/products/the-anchoress-as-we-once-were-vinyl-lp-cd-cassette-lossless-dl

We are up against some BIG releases this week and mighty major labels that can swing placement on all the streaming platforms and bankroll a week of instore tours. All levers that are far and beyond my humble means and that of the small indie label that is Last Night From Glasgow.

But what we do have is PEOPLE POWER. You: the genuine music fans that have carried me this far and have made the most unlikely success story of a girl that was never popular and has always walked to the beat of her own drum.

I’m told we’ve sold close to 3,000 physical albums this week which, if the tiny team at LNFG hadn’t been at full throttle packing and shipping all the orders and had had time to report them early, would have put us firmly inside the top twenty of the official mid-week charts (the industry update that suggests where a release might land by the official Friday end of sales charts).

So, why do first week chart positions matter? Well, apart from being something to tell the grandchildren, an impressive first week position makes a HUGE difference to how the next year looks for me and The Anchoress.

Having a strong first week position leads to getting booked for festivals, more live promoters wanting to book a show in a venue near YOU, reaching new audiences, getting considered for TV spots, sync, getting grant funding and much, much more.

After The Art Of Losing went Top 40, the opportunities abounded for at least 18 months and people finally sat up and took note of what I’d been quietly doing for the past five years.

Finishing strongly this week would mean that all my hard work and efforts on this album will have the chance to resonate beyond the people that already know about me and help us to build something really sustainable. It means it gets to make another record.

So, if you have a spare tenner and can grab another copy before the end of play on Thursday, you can walk away with a warm glow knowing that you’ve helped push along the little engine that could…

It’s all in your hands, dear reader: found.ee/AsWeOnceWere

Please spread the word, give this a share, and make it count!

Catherine x

*There’s also a guide to translating the legendary Pitchfork scoring system, which ultimately translates as “a very good record” here.