Scandi duo anamē round of 2025 with their 'Hopes & Fears (Companion EP)'.
After starting off the year with their sophomore album 'Hopes & Fears', anamē continued their forward momentum with an accompanying tour across multiple continents and festivals. With singles from the album seeing support across their home Nordic territories, including Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and an appearance on Go' Morgen Danmark in early 2025 with longtime collaborator Lydmor, the band's album made waves both home and abroad.
Their sophomore album, ‘Hopes & Fears’ is an honest reflection of how Marcus and Thomas feel about the world around them and the connections they have made worldwide. An emotive, highly charged, statement driven record, that ultimately leans to the lighter side of life.
"For us, Hopes and Fears builds on the journey we started with our first album, which was about finding beauty in the world around us. Back then, the way we experienced the world felt far less bleak than the stories we were being force-fed. This new album is about holding onto hope when the times feel increasingly uncertain—a search for light in the dark and the belief that even in the shadows, there’s always a glimmer of light worth fighting for” - anamē
Last week, anamē released 'Malibu', the lead single from their forthcoming Companion EP to ‘Hopes & Fears' which blends their floaty and melodic house tracks with a mix of darker and brooding melodic techno. Now, the duo release the full Companion EP, debuting ‘I’m Coming Home’ with long-term collaborator, Lydmor, as well as a fresh silkhaus Mix of ‘Break The Silence’, an Alternative Version of ‘Electric Lights’ and a Club Mix of 'It Can Be Better Now'.
The limited coloured 2xLP 'Hopes & Fears' vinyl, featuring both the full album and the Companion EP, is available to pre-order now.
Buy limited coloured 2xLP 'Hopes & Fears' vinyl: https://anjunabeats.co/hafvinyl.OYD
Buy/Stream: https://anjunabeats.co/prb0oxn.OYD
[review top="1"]
[item value="10"]anamē - Hopes & Fears (Companion EP)[/item]
[content title="Summary" label="Overall Score"] The Companion EP to anamē’s acclaimed Hopes & Fears showcases the duo’s mastery of melodic storytelling and technical precision across four distinct tracks, each crafted with a balance of emotional resonance and rhythmic drive. This collection not only complements the original album but also expands upon its universe, offering music that enhances mental wellness, improves focus during fitness or wellness sessions, and uplifts human mood, as supported by contemporary music neuroscience studies (Thoma et al., 2013; Chanda & Levitin, 2013). 1. I’m Coming Home (feat. Lydmor) : This opening track is a 118 BPM melodic house journey that fuses airy synth pads, soft percussive layers, and a deep rhythmic undercurrent. Lydmor’s ethereal vocals sit atop a lush harmonic foundation, processed with subtle reverb and delay for a dreamy spatial effect. The production employs multiband compression to maintain clarity, while sidechain ducking against the kick drum enhances the track’s hypnotic pulse. Studies have shown that music with moderate tempos and smooth harmonic content can reduce stress and improve relaxation (Koelsch, 2010), making this track ideal for meditation or cooldown segments in wellness classes. 2. Break The Silence (Deep Silkhaus Mix): At 120 BPM, this version transforms the original into a warm and fluid journey. Pulsating sub-bass frequencies are paired with crisp shaker grooves, and the warm piano chords are enhanced by mid-side EQ processing to create a wide, immersive stereo field. Vocals are gently modulated to float around the mix, providing both rhythmic drive and emotional lift. From a fitness perspective, steady 120 BPM music has been linked with a beneficial impact on exercise endurance and psychological motivation (Karageorghis & Priest, 2012). 3. Electric Lights (Alternative Version) : The Alternative Version slows down into a chillout ambient lounge direction, focusing on sustained pads, reversed effects, and soft rhythmic textures. Temporal effects such as long-tail reverbs and granular delays create a floating sense of time, which is known to contribute to mental relaxation and mindfulness (Grocke & Wigram, 2007). This track’s reflective nature makes it suitable for yoga or meditation classes, providing an auditory space that encourages introspection. 4. It Can Be Better Now (Afrohouse Club Mix) : With its 123 BPM tribal pulse, this mix embraces the current afrohouse wave with layered percussion, organic shakers, and syncopated toms. The track leverages dynamic automation to gradually build intensity, while the use of stereo panning in percussion elements adds movement and spatial excitement. Research in music psychology indicates that such rhythmically engaging music can enhance group exercise energy and promote positive emotional states through entrainment (Janata et al., 2012). Overall Production and Impact: Across the EP, anamē demonstrate exceptional sound design and production quality. Their use of dynamic range, harmonic layering, and spatial processing ensures each track maintains clarity and emotional depth even in club environments. The careful BPM selection across tracks allows seamless integration for DJ sets while also catering to wellness and fitness applications, aligning with studies on tempo’s influence on physiological responses (Edworthy & Waring, 2006). #PureGold Love iT[/content]
[item value="10"]Rhythm, Groove & Drive[/item][item value="10"]Melodic Hooks & Harmonic Layers[/item]
[item value="10"]Transitions, Drops & Build-Ups [/item]
[item value="10"]Energy Flow & Momentum [/item]
[item value="10"]Sound Design & Production Quality[/item]
[item value="10"]Originality of Arrangement & Structure[/item]
[item value="10"]Use of Effects & Spatial Design[/item]
[item value="10"]Dynamic Range & Loudness Balance[/item]
[item value="10"]Atmosphere & Immersion[/item]
[item value="10"]Emotional Resonance[/item]
[item value="10"]Creativity & Artistic Identity[/item]
[item value="10"]Cohesion & Storytelling[/item]
[item value="10"]Vocal Performance & Lyrical Impact[/item]
[item value="10"]Catchiness & Replay Value[/item]
[item value="10"]Club / Festival Suitability[/item]
[item value="10"]Track Intro/Outro Structure[/item]
[item value="10"]BPM Consistency & Sync Ease[/item]
[item value="10"]Cue Points & Loop Potential[/item]
[item value="10"]Dynamic Energy for Set Flow[/item]
[item value="10"]Crowd Reaction Potential[/item]
[/review]
Suggested Bibliography
Chanda, M. L., & Levitin, D. J. (2013). The neurochemistry of music. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17(4), 179–193.
Edworthy, J., & Waring, H. (2006). The effects of music tempo and loudness level on treadmill exercise. Ergonomics, 49(15), 1597–1610.
Grocke, D., & Wigram, T. (2007). Receptive Methods in Music Therapy. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Janata, P., et al. (2012). Music, movement, and emotion: Musical rhythm and its effect on emotional response. Psychology of Music, 40(1), 1–16.
Karageorghis, C. I., & Priest, D. L. (2012). Music in the exercise domain: A review and synthesis (Part I). International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 5(1), 44–66.
Koelsch, S. (2010). Towards a neural basis of music-evoked emotions. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(3), 131–137.
Thoma, M. V., et al. (2013). The effect of music on the human stress response. PLoS ONE, 8(8), e70156.
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