The Anchoress Catherine Anne Davies Explores Generational Legacy and Analog Innovation in Upcoming Studio Album As We Once Were
The Welsh multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter Catherine Anne Davies, performing under the moniker The Anchoress, has announced the upcoming release of her third original studio album, As We Once Were. Scheduled for arrival this August, the project marks a significant evolution in Davies’ career, arriving more than a decade after her critically acclaimed debut, Confessions of a Romance Novelist. The new record emerges into a vastly transformed cultural and industrial landscape, one where the traditional boundaries of record-making are increasingly blurred by the demands of digital social media and the "always-on" nature of modern celebrity. For Davies, the release is accompanied by a sense of trepidation rooted in the tension between her identity as a meticulous sonic architect and the industry’s contemporary expectation for artists to function primarily as content creators.
In recent interviews, Davies has been candid regarding the challenges of navigating this shift. She notes that while the industry’s hunger for short-form video and constant engagement is unquenchable, her passion remains rooted in the architectural process of making long-form records. This tension is a central theme in the lead-up to As We Once Were, a project that seeks to preserve the sanctity of high-fidelity art in an era of rapid-fire digital consumption. Beyond the industrial shifts, the album is a deeply personal exploration of motherhood, lineage, and the passage of time, themes that were ignited by a chance discovery of a long-lost family relic.
The Creative Catalyst: A Grandmother’s Voice and Intergenerational Dialogue
The conceptual framework for As We Once Were was not immediately apparent to Davies. Following the success of her 2021 album, The Art of Losing—a record that dealt profoundly with grief and trauma—she found herself initially resistant to the idea of writing about her new experiences as a parent. However, the creative deadlock was broken at her mother’s home when she discovered a cassette tape that had been missing for years. The tape contained the voice of her grandmother, providing a spectral link to the past that served as the "key" to unlocking the new record.
Davies realized that the songs she had been tentatively drafting were, in fact, part of a larger conversation between four generations of women: her grandmother, her mother, herself, and her daughter. This realization transformed the album from a standard collection of songs into an intergenerational dialogue. The album’s title, As We Once Were, reflects this preoccupation with the fluidity of identity and the way personal history repeats and evolves through descendants. By incorporating snippets of her grandmother’s voice and various field recordings, Davies has created a sonic tapestry that bridges the gap between the mid-20th century and the present day.
A Timeline of Artistic Evolution: From Confessions to As We Once Were
The trajectory of The Anchoress has been defined by a commitment to autonomy and technical excellence.
- 2014–2016: Confessions of a Romance Novelist. Davies’ debut established her as a formidable producer and writer. The album won the HMV Welsh Album of the Year and was nominated for the Welsh Music Prize, earning comparisons to Kate Bush and Tori Amos for its literary depth and complex arrangements.
- 2017–2020: Collaborative Growth and Touring. During this period, Davies joined the legendary Scottish rock band Simple Minds as a touring member, contributing keyboards and vocals. This experience provided the financial and professional foundation to build her own recording space, the Black Lodge studio.
- 2021: The Art of Losing. Released to widespread critical acclaim, this album saw Davies taking full control of production. It was a Top 10 hit on the UK Physical Albums Chart and was praised for its unflinching look at death and survival.
- 2023: Versions. An interim release featuring reinterpretations of other artists’ work, which allowed Davies to experiment with different arrangements while navigating the early stages of motherhood.
- 2024: As We Once Were. The forthcoming album represents the culmination of these experiences, blending the technical rigour of her early work with a new-found efficiency necessitated by the constraints of parenting.
Technical Innovation: The Townshend Connection and Modular Synthesis
A defining characteristic of As We Once Were is its unique sonic palette, much of which was derived from a residency at The Townshend Studio at the University of West London in Ealing. The studio houses the private collection of vintage synthesizers belonging to Pete Townshend of The Who. Townshend’s decision to make these instruments available to a new generation of musicians, rather than sequestering them in a museum, provided Davies with a rare opportunity to engage with rock history.
Davies, an admitted obsessive regarding sound quality, utilized several iconic pieces of hardware that shaped the sound of 1970s progressive and experimental rock. Among these were:
- The ARP Model 2500: A legendary modular synthesizer known for its complex matrix switching system. Unlike modern digital plugins, the ARP 2500 requires hours of manual patching to produce sound, a process Davies described as both "challenging" and "dream-like."
- The Moog System 35: Used prominently on the single "Throw Over Your Man," this system provided textures that Davies believes are impossible to replicate through digital means.
Working with these instruments allowed Davies to embrace "serendipity"—the idea of one-off studio moments that cannot be easily saved or automated. She noted that while modern production often focuses on total recall and infinite editability, the Townshend synths forced a playful, "live" mindset that reminded her of why she first fell in love with recording. The "weight of history" was palpable; Davies admitted to being moved to tears upon first entering the studio, citing Townshend’s Quadrophenia as a pivotal influence on her musical upbringing.
Collaborative Vision: The "Cherry on Top" Strategy
While As We Once Were is a singular vision, it features a notable list of guest contributors, the most of any Anchoress record to date. However, Davies maintains a "control freak" approach to her production, viewing collaborations not as co-writing exercises but as specific textural additions to a nearly finished product.
The guest list includes:
- James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers): A long-term creative partner who has appeared on every Anchoress studio album. His presence serves as a "boost" for Davies, providing both vocal support and a connection to the Welsh rock lineage.
- Hannah Peel: The Emmy-nominated composer and artist, who has become a close friend and peer to Davies.
- Gwenno: The Welsh-Cornish artist provided not only vocal contributions but also vital advice on balancing the demands of a touring career with the realities of motherhood.
- Eaves Wilder: A rising young artist and daughter of author Caitlin Moran. Her inclusion reinforces the album’s intergenerational theme, bridging the gap between established figures and the next generation of creators.
The Black Lodge and the 9-to-3 Workflow
The production of As We Once Were was split between the Townshend Studio, the Manic Street Preachers’ Door to the River studio, and Davies’ own bespoke facility, Black Lodge. The latter, named with a nod to the surrealist world of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, was designed to be a highly efficient, multi-purpose space.
Motherhood has fundamentally altered Davies’ workflow. Previously characterized by immersive, late-night sessions, her process is now defined by a strict "nine until three" schedule. Davies expressed surprise at the level of productivity she has achieved within these constraints, noting that the removal of "wasted time" has made her more decisive as a producer. The Black Lodge is equipped with a high-end desk and an extensive rack of outboard gear and synths, allowing her to maintain professional-grade output without the overhead costs of a commercial studio.
Broader Implications: Art in the Age of "Fast Music"
The Anchoress’s insistence on high-quality, layered, and complex recording stands in stark contrast to the "fast music" trends of the 2020s. Independent artists today face a "motherhood penalty"—a documented drop in income and opportunity for women in the arts following childbirth. By launching a podcast alongside the album to explore these themes and lecturing at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP), Davies is actively working to change the narrative around parents in the music industry.
Her work at ICMP also serves as a source of inspiration. By engaging with students and being "bombarded" with new sounds from younger generations, she avoids the stagnation that can affect veteran artists. This cycle of teaching and learning ensures that while her gear may be vintage, her sonic perspective remains contemporary.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
As the release of As We Once Were approaches, Catherine Anne Davies stands as a rare figure in the UK music scene: a self-produced female artist who refuses to compromise on sonic integrity. The album represents more than just a collection of songs; it is a technical feat achieved through the use of historic hardware and a personal manifesto on the value of legacy.
By blending the spectral voices of the past with the cutting-edge synthesis of the present, The Anchoress has crafted a record that addresses the universal experience of change. In an industry that often prizes the ephemeral, Davies is betting on the enduring power of the "best possible sounding record." As she moves from the studio to the stage this August, the effort invested in these "layered and complex" arrangements will likely be the very thing that sets her apart in a crowded digital marketplace. The conversation between the grandmother on the tape and the daughter in the studio continues, immortalized in the grooves of a record that honors where we have been while looking firmly at who we are becoming.
