Anon (album)

Anon (stylised as -Anon.) is the fourth studio album by Australian rock band Hands Like Houses, released on 12 October 2018 by UNFD and Hopeless Records. It was produced by Colin Brittain, Mike Green, Alex Prieto, and Erik Ron at Steakhouse Studios in Hollywood.

Anon
Studio album by Hands Like Houses
Released	12 October 2018
Studio	Steakhouse Studios, Hollywood, CA
Genre	Alternative rock pop rock[1] hard rock[2]
Length	32:37
Label	UNFD, Hopeless
Producer	Colin Brittain Mike Green Alex Prieto Erik Ron
Hands Like Houses chronology
Dissonants (2016) Anon (2018)
Singles from Anon
"Overthinking" Released: 26 July 2018 "Monster" Released: 13 August 2018 "Sick" Released: 22 January 2019

Background

Anon is a quasi-concept album that ventures beyond the band's personal experiences. Hands Like Houses wanted to tell a different kind of narrative with their fourth album, wanting to tell the stories of other people through their music, ranging from a tale of self discovery, to relationships or politics. It was made to be relatable to anyone who listened to it.[3]

Promotion and singles

The album's first single, "Overthinking", was also released on 26 July 2018.[4] The single's accompanying music video was also released on the same day.[5] The album's second single, "Monster", was released on 13 August with its accompanying music video being released a day later.[6] Their third single of the album, "Sick", was released on 22 January 2019, alongside its accompanying music video.[7]

Hands Like Houses performed a national six-date tour to promote the album for February 2019. They played across the major capital cities. Playing as support for the band was Ocean Grove, Endless Heights, and RedHook.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
KillYourStereo	85/100[10]
SputnikMusic	[11]
'Wall of Sound	[12]

The album was met with generally favourable reviews. Megan Langley of KillYourStereo in an 85/100 review, praised the band's new sound citing it as "an evolution for the Aussie locals."[10] Maximo McKinnon from SputnikMusic, criticised the band for not staying true to one particular style, and noted how so far all of their albums have sounded completely different from each other. He did however, praise tracks such as "Overthinking", "Half-Hearted", "Tilt" and "Bad Dream."[11] Michael Parente of Wall of Sound in a 7.5/10 review, noted that the album sounded different from their previous album Dissonants, but it was a welcomed change.[12] The album peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Charts on 20 October.[13]

Track listing

Track listing adapted from AllMusic.[9]

All music is composed by Hands Like Houses and Colin Brittain, with additional writers listed.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Kingdom Come"		2:42
2.	"Monster"	Leeanna James	3:27
3.	"Sick"		3:36
4.	"Overthinking"	Mike Green	2:53
5.	"Through Glass"	Callan Orr	3:26
6.	"Half-Hearted"	James	3:10
7.	"No Man's Land"	Orr	3:24
8.	"Black"	James	3:08
9.	"Tilt"	Erik Ron	3:40
10.	"Bad Dream"	James	3:11
Total length:			32:37

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.

Hands Like Houses Trenton Woodley – lead vocals, keyboards Matt Cooper – lead guitar Alexander Pearson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Joel Tyrrell – bass guitar, backing vocals Matt Parkitny – drums

Production Colin Brittain - additional production, composer, mixer, producer, programming, synthesizer Erik Ron - composer, producer Brendan Collins - assistant engineer, guitar technician Jonathan Gering - additional production, programming, synthesizer Mike Green - composer, producer Leeanna James - composer Mike Kalajian - mastering John Nicholson - drum technician Callan Orr - additional Production, composer, programming, synthesizer David Peters - assistant engineer Ryan Potesta - assistant engineer Alex Prieto - additional production, engineer, mixing, producer, programming, synthesizer Anthony Reeder - engineer Erik Ron - composer, producer James Paul Wisner - mixing

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[13]	4
US Indie Albums (Billboard)[14]	11

References

1. Toth, Alex (16 October 2018). "Hands Like Houses fail to form a new identity on "Anon."".
2. Dansereau, Alex (10 October 2018). "Hands Like Houses pull off engaging and sometimes thrilling reinvention on "-Anon."".
3. MacMullen, Sally (12 October 2018). "Hands Like Houses On Catching Fans Off Guard With New Album '-Anon.' & Plans For "Crazy Big" New Shows". Music Feeds. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
4. Jamieson, Brii (26 July 2018). "Hands Like Houses have announced new album". Rocksound. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
5. Hopeless Records (26 July 2018). "Hands Like Houses - Overthinking (Official Music Video)". Retrieved 11 February 2019 – via YouTube.
6. Hopeless Records (14 August 2018). "Hands Like Houses - Monster (Official Music Video)". Retrieved 11 February 2019 – via YouTube.
7. Hopeless Records (22 January 2019). "Hands Like Houses - Sick (Official Music Video)". Retrieved 11 February 2019 – via YouTube.
8. Williams, Tom (22 October 2018). "Hands Like Houses Announce 2019 '-Anon.' National Tour". Music Feeds. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
9. Yeung, Neil Z. "Anon. - Hands Like Houses". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
10. Langley, Megan (16 November 2018). "Hands Like Houses – -Anon". KillYourStereo. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
11. McKinnon, Maximo (12 October 2018). "Hands Like Houses -Anon.". SputnikMusic. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
12. Parente, Michael (8 October 2018). "Hands Like Houses – -Anon. (Album Review)". Retrieved 11 February 2019.
13. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. 20 October 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
14. "Hands Like Houses Chart History - Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 30 June 2019.