Stop Pretending with Annie Schultz’s “Waiting” (Music Video) - 21 June 2023

Annie Schultz releases their single and animated music video “Waiting,” available June 21 on Digital Formats via Trailing Twelve Records.

Olympia, Washington-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Annie Schultz shares their softly exhilarating “Waiting” set for digital release on June 21st via Trailing Twelve Records.

Schultz spent the better part of their adolescence at backyard gigs and smoke-filled rooms reveling in the angst of the Minnesota DIY music scene. After moving across the country and enrolling at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, Schultz picked up a guitar and began to teach themself chord shapes and construct their own distinctive vocal style.

On the heels of the spacious and hypnotic “Patterns,” Schultz returns with “Waiting - a driving yet laid-back atmosphere sets the foundation for prose centered around the countdown to a breakup. Schultz’s songwriting blends poignant observations [don’t pretend it doesn’t end like this] with bittersweet honesty [just take it for what it’s worth now / there’s not much else left to do / but wait and watch it play out / watch me disconnect from you].

‘Waiting’ is the only song I’ve ever intentionally written about a romantic relationship. I started dating somebody that was moving across the country within the next few months, and I wanted to articulate the feeling that comes with knowing exactly how a relationship is going to end and just having to wait for it to happen.

Drawing inspiration from bands like Joy Division and The Cure, “Waiting” blends industrial drums, razor-sharp guitar, and glassy synths to produce a forceful and melancholy atmosphere that blankets Schultz’s yearning vocal. Recorded with their classmates in the audio production program at Evergreen State College, Schultz shares some additional detail on the production process below.

Since it’s technically about a breakup, I wanted to juxtapose the subject matter of it with a fairly upbeat and unexpected instrumental. I think I was also hiding behind the instrumental a little bit. ‘Waiting’ is definitely one of the most vulnerable songs I’ve written and I didn’t want the lyrics to be the main focus of it, so I tried to flesh out the instrumental as well as I could. I layered and double-tracked electric and acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards, harmony vocals, and drum machine.

Directed and animated by Nick Roetemeyer, the music video uses surreal visuals to highlight the poetic interpretation of the song’s lyrics. Roetemeyer goes into detail on the inspiration and process below.

I wanted the images to be complementary to the feelings the song evoked in me: that feeling towards the end of a relationship when neither person is willing to bite the bullet and end things. To do this, I related that feeling to visual art that made a similar impact on me and drew on them for inspiration. The video was made with mixed media, primarily in Photoshop supplemented by stretches of direct animation on recycled strips of 16mm film.

The charm of “Waiting” is in its laid-back yet exhilarating atmosphere, catchy melodic and guitar-centric hooks, poignant songwriting, and the otherworldly quality of Annie Schultz’s vocals.

“Waiting” is out June 21st, 2023 on Digital Formats via Trailing Twelve Records.

Watch the animated music video for “Waiting” below.

Annie Schultz: vocals, guitars, synthesizer/keyboards, bass
Written, Performed, and Produced by Annie Schultz
Mixed by Annie Schultz and Eros Faulk
Mastered By Eros Faulk

Press Photos: Julian Owen
Artwork: Nick Roetemeyer

Music Video
Animated and Directed by Nick Roetemeyer @root.mov @this.house.has.rates

Press Contact: info@trailingtwelve.com

TTR-026
© & ℗ 2023 Trailing Twelve Records. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized Copying, Reproduction, Hiring, Lending, Public Performance, And Broadcasting Strictly Prohibited.

ANNIE SCHULTZ - Waiting
TTR-026
Release Date: 21 June 2023
Length: 4:01

Socials: spotify / instagram

BIO

Annie Schultz is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Olympia, WA. Drawing influence from songwriters like Elliott Smith and Nick Drake, they have developed a musical style composed of thoughtful, modal chord progressions and an emotionally expressive vocal delivery.

Schultz grew up in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota and began learning to play the guitar at the age of 14. They attended a performing arts high school, which advanced their musical education and introduced them to Minneapolis' DIY house show scene. Here, Schultz developed a deep admiration and respect for the legacy and influence that local legends like Prince, The Replacements, and Husker Du left on music scenes both in and out of the Midwest.

Enamored by the musical history of the Pacific Northwest, Schultz decided to move to Olympia and pursue a degree in audio production at Evergreen State College. Throughout their studies, they became fascinated with the introspective songwriting of gothic bands like Joy Division and The Cure, as well as the emotional parallels that post-punk shares with the singer-songwriters who served as Schultz's primary sources of inspiration.

Bridging the gap between the earnest, soft-spoken approach of acoustic songwriting and the moody, angular conventions of post-punk, Schultz crafts a vital and distinctive sound. Fans of Elliott Smith, Phoebe Bridgers, and Angel Olsen will connect with the contemplative and dream-like atmospheres of Annie Schultz’s work.

In recent years, Schultz has established themself in the Olympia scene, routinely sharing bills with local and touring acts and playing both solo acoustic and full band sets.