REVIEW: Anna Shoemaker - “Everything Is Fine” Single
Described by Nylon as “Brooklyn’s own Olivia Rodrigo,” Anna Shoemaker is an up and coming, unfiltered, voice of a generation. If you don’t know her name yet, trust that you will soon. Through her music, so raw and deeply relatable, she has managed to pick the brains of an anxious, people-pleasing, perpetually embarrassed generation, and transform it into something beautiful. Her new single, “Everything is Fine,” showcases her strengths as a songwriter, and uses cutting satire to tap into the universal angst of the early 20s.
The song is blunt and self-deprecating, opening with the lyrics “I don’t know what’s wrong with me / stuck in between apathy and whatever the opposite of that is.” Such a compelling opener is succeeded by equally hyper-specific and razor sharp lyrics. Shoemaker goes on to describe moments and situations that are objectively, not fine. “My ex senses when I’m fine”, she croons, for example, just to “come back and ruin [her] life.” A masterclass of subverting expectations, Shoemaker punctuates this verse, riddled with anxiety and unfine situations, with an affirmation - “but I’ll be alright.”
This whole song is verse after verse of truly incredible lyricism, only accentuated by its captivating production. Sounding like something straight out of the early 2000s pop-punk sphere, the melody starts off mellow and slowly builds to the pre-chorus, where it explodes. The song’s soundscape adds an air of anger to a song that may otherwise read as sad. The chorus is an eruption of electric guitar spotlighting Shoemaker's angsty vocals.
The chorus also contains this song’s thesis statement; “Everything is fine / I’m only on fire” Shoemaker states. “Everything is fine / I’m only a liar.”
Shoemaker is lying to us and mostly to herself in this chorus, something she acknowledges. This sense of irony perfectly captures the paradoxical dilemma of our generation, of being a woman, of being in your 20s: the feeling of losing control and the realization that we have to keep going anyways. Truthfully, everything is not fine, but we compartmentalize and we distract ourselves so that it momentarily feels like it is. We learn to contain our fire by learning to live with it. It is a sort of cynicism that ironically horseshoes into optimism. Everything has to be fine, because it is what is.
Photo by Josefine Cardoni
One of my favorite scenes in all of television comes from the series finale of the Netflix cartoon Bojack Horseman; Bojack, the titular character, is talking to one of his best friends, Diane, about life. “Life’s a bitch and then you die, right?” He confidently states. “Sometimes,” Diane responds back. “But sometimes, life’s a bitch and then you keep living.”
Life’s a bitch and then you keep living. Shoemaker understands this sentiment all too well. It underscores much of her music and certainly summarizes the central theme of “Everything is Fine.” This song understands itself, and it’s audience so deeply, and that's what makes it great. It is as introspective as it is enjoyable to listen to. It is the perfect song to play while crying in your bedroom or to blast in the car with all your best friends. Shoemaker has done it again, and it is clear, her musicality will take her to monumental heights.
Anna Shoemaker’s first full-length album, Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire), will debut on March 2nd via +1 Records
