Limerick indie outfit Anna’s Anchor today announces their fourth album, The Merries, out July 7, 2023 via Strange Brew, and their upcoming tour across Ireland. The band are celebrating the news with the release of their new single ‘Function Room Floor’, out Wednesday, 29 March, 2023. Once a solo affair, this ever-evolving musical project now resembles a collaborative community with frontman Marty Ryan as the band’s lynchpin.

‘Function Room Floor’ looks back on teenage social awkwardness with a sweeping sound inspired by The National, Alex G, and Tycho. The insistent chord progressions play on a feeling of youthful yearning. Powerful percussion drives the song forward—especially on the outro—and shows off the talents of drummer Brian Scally (Ganglions).

The Merries—including ‘Function Room Floor’—documents some of Ryan’s happiest memories, but his desire to record them came from a fever dream of pain and uncertainty. Ryan suffered a frightening head injury in 2021 shortly after moving to the US to pursue a PhD in music education. While he’s healthy now, memory loss and long term issues were an initial concern. Ryan wrote a list of important memories after the accident happened as a way to ensure he remembered those experiences that were precious to him. Strangely enough, none of these events had ever featured in an Anna’s Anchor song before, despite the band being three albums and a slew of EPs deep.

photo by @awells.co