Ann my Guard – She Of The Sea And Stars

Ann my Guard
She Of The Sea And Stars
Out: March 28^th, 2025
Playing time: 41:02

Ann my Guard were originally a Hungarian Dark Rock band. Eszter Anna Baumann, who gave the band its name, now lives in the Netherlands and is co-founder and co-owner of IDVI Agency, a rapidly growing booking agency based in Sint-Willebrord (North Brabant – Netherlands). The band was founded in 2007 in the Hungarian capital Budapest. Four albums have been released since then, although I’m not entirely sure whether ‘Furia’ from 2020 isn’t more of an EP. The last full-length album ‘Moira’ was released in 2018. I was able to see the band live twice during the Female Metal Event 2018 in Eindhoven. Firstly, with the release show for ‘Moira’. On the final day, the band played an acoustic set. In the meantime, Ann my Guard is just a project of the married couple Eszter Anna Baumann and Davy Knobel. ‘She Of The Sea And Stars’ is therefore the fifth album (the band includes the shorter “Furia” here).

‘Ode To The Nereids’ begins with synth sounds. However, these sound quite melodic. The vocals that start shortly afterwards sound a bit like Folk Rock. Can you hear the vastness of the Hungarian lowlands here? Later you can hear calm, rhythmic Dark Rock. And Anna’s vocals have always impressed me. ‘Dark Sea Blue’ is a catchy tune, in a positive sense. Strings can be heard again. And Anna sings calmly and relaxed with a mostly dark timbre. The refrain in particular remains in the ear. ‘Callisto’ is something else, with bass and acoustic guitars dominating. A little faster, with purposefully used percussion. The vocals alternate between deeper, darker and higher pitched vocalises. Towards the end there are synth sounds again, accompanied by rhythmic drums and acoustic guitars. ‘Echo’ starts with a cappella vocals. Before synths, acoustic guitars and strings kick in again. Later, the singer is mainly accompanied by acoustic guitars. Although the album is mostly travelling in calm waters, it tends towards ballads here. ‘Novae’ is an acoustic interlude dominated by flute and other woodwind instruments. It forms the bridge to ‘Starseed’. A video was released for this song. The singer is staged with beautiful shots of nature. The instrumentation is very minimal. Eszter Anna Baumann’s elfin vocals really come into their own. At first, Anna whispers on ‘Scylla’. And is accompanied by chimes and deep synths. Later, you can hear an almost anxious-sounding vibration in her voice. Which later turns into a screech. ‘In The Secret Garden Of The Maenads’ begins with several congas and flute sounds. Quietly breathed ethereal vocals are accompanied by acoustic guitars. Here, the singer shows her vocal diversity, with both dark vocals and higher passages. And there are no real lyrics, the same words or syllables are repeated over and over again. As has often been the case before, ‘Hekate’ is also characterised by acoustic guitars and strings that caress the vocals. Anna is accompanied by a piano on ‘The Day I Die’.

well. There’s not much left of Dark Rock on ‘She Of The Sea And Stars’. I would use the term Dark Pop here, which is also used in the press info. The album is clearly dominated by calm, contemplative tones. And Anna is probably the absolute figurehead. You would almost think we were listening to a solo album by Eszter Anna Baumann. The album cover would also indicate this. Even though Ann my Guard have never been in the mainstream, the sound is, in my opinion, more extraordinary than ever before. You simply have to listen to the album in a quiet hour and enjoy it. Nevertheless, I would like to see a return to the ( Dark) Rock of earlier days for the follow-up.

Ann my Guard – Starseed: https://youtu.be/GfEON3hrE0E?si=z3_gQeMCGKTyg7c8

Lineup:

Eszter Anna Baumann – Vocals, Bass, Guitars, Keys, Flute, Percussion
Davy Knobel – Guitars, Percussion, Additional Keys, Special Effects

Guests:

Elianne Anemaat – Cello
Nick Holleman – Piano
Ivar de Graaf – Bouzouki

Track list:

• Ode To The Nereids
• Dark Sea Blue
• Callisto
• Echo
• Novae
• Starseed
• Scylla
• In The Secret Garden Of The Maenads
• Hekate
• The Day I Die