Liza Anne Navigates Anxiety with an Upbeat Exterior in New Single “Paranoia”

“There you go, saying I’ll be fine but, I won’t/ Brush it under the bed another time but it won’t stay down/ Crawling into my mind and out my mouth/ I’m scared you’re not mine and you want out” sings Nashville’s Liza Anne on the final verse of her latest single, the powerful, personal, and sad/poppy “Paranoia,” a candid, vulnerable, and anthemic account of her own struggle with panic anxiety disorder.

“Growing up, people would always say I was too happy to be depressed, or too social to have anxiety,” the singer explains, on the song’s inspiration, “In their eyes, because I was one thing, I couldn’t also be something else. I think we all exist in duality, though. I can be everything and nothing all at once.” Anne, a longtime site favorite (perhaps minor obsession of ours would be more accurate), perfectly captures this duality with a shimmering, hook-laden exterior and slow build to complex, gritty pop bliss, juxtaposed with the song’s personal examination of grappling with mental health.

It’s been more than two years since Liza captivated us with her astounding sophomore LP, Two, and her followup, which appears to be called Fine But Dying, is expected arrive early next year, on the heels of recent tours with the likes of Joseph and Margaret Glaspy. If “Paranoia” is any indication, the forthcoming release seems to be following in the poppy, earnest, indie rock template of Two, and with several years of frequent touring and personal and artistic growth to inform it, we have no doubt it’ll be the best album yet from an exciting and essential young artist who already wows us with each release.

Hear “Paranoia” below!