Anna Shoemaker Debuts Her First Album, "Everything is Fine (I'm Only on Fire)"

Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire) Album Artwork by Josefine Cardoni

If you're in search of a new album because you feel sorry all the time or are scared of your ex, or maybe you need one for your long drive home to pretend everything is fine, look no further than Anna Shoemaker’s debut album, Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire). The NYC-based solo artist is following a conjunction of singles leading up to the release of her debut album with a mature and electrifying sound. 

While listening to Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire), every song from the 11-track debut feels like taking a step into Shoemaker’s mind during an experience she was reliving. The album in its entirety was a story highlighting heartbreak, mental health, dealing with loss, and an overall, emotional masterpiece. Shoemaker describes the inspiration for her album as “a bunch of diary entries from the past two years.” Having a debut album that relays so much vulnerability, she was initially fearful about the record. “I was really pushed to do the album by my label which I was really excited about,” Shoemaker goes on to explain her hesitation in releasing the album, “it’s kind of like that feeling of imposter syndrome.” 

The overall creation of the album came from the flow and correlation stemming between each song. Shoemaker said, “I wasn’t even expecting to make an album, and then all these songs fit together to work out really well.” Behind the creative process of the album, Shoemaker describes her love for writing and its influence over her life. “To me it just felt a lot better to write out all my thoughts, you can see what problems are actually important and what problems are actually just weighing on you,“ Anna adds, “it’s something that is very therapeutic and cathartic, and especially writing the album helped me get through a lot of stuff.“ Every ounce of emotion and revelation from her life can be found within her songwriting, and goes to show her artistic competency throughout her work. 

“When I first started writing the album, I was kind of giving a lot of different people a lot more power than they deserved.” - Anna Shoemaker

The vastly creative indie-pop record, Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire) is pushing the boundaries of genre with a mixture of different sounds and influences. During the initial listen of the album, it is evident Shoemaker is nothing shy of brilliant in her efforts to include R&B and alternative tones to her carefully honed indie-pop sound. “I don’t really think a lot about genre at all when I’m writing and when I’m making the music, so I think it’s hard to fit my music into a certain box,“ she adds, “I like my album being kind of all over the place, because I think that’s representative of real life.“ Each track has a hint of genre diversity, which she does an amazing job incorporating in the overall flow of sounds through each new song. 

Anna Shoemaker by Josefine Cardoni

There are a few songs that stand out within the album that instantly caught my attention. The extremely catchy and exciting title track “Everything is Fine” may be the last song on the album, but easily one of the most notable with Shoemaker’s melody, tone, and vocals. Each beat in the song draws you in and gives an entirely new vibrant and inventive energy to the debut. “Long Drive Home” was another one of my personal favorites from this release. The visions Shoemaker is able to establish with her lyricism are insanely prevalent throughout this song. “Long Drive Home” is a track I will be screaming and singing “until the windows break” with my own best friends all throughout summer, and is a perfect song for anyone needing a fiery hit to pick you up out of a mental rut. 

“Besides the fact that all your feelings are valid and you should speak your truth, whatever they get from the songs, I’m so excited people are listening and any of the songs even mean anything to them. For me, that’s all that matters.” - Anna Shoemaker

Along with the release of Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire), Anna has also released accompanying music videos for “Sick!,” “It’s Depression,” “Everything is Fine,” “Mariah,” and “Until I Die.” With almost half of her debut having a visual counterpart, there is no doubt Shoemaker has put extreme amounts of hard work and dedication into all parts of this release. 

In tandem with this release, Shoemaker will also be doing live shows, “I love performing so much, and we kind of factored that in when making all the songs for the album,“ she explains, “it's another form of this therapeutic release, actually performing them is a different level of getting them out of your system.” Anna Shoemaker is unequivocally talented in every aspect of creating and releasing music. Her debut album is evidence of that, and fuels my excitement to watch her continue to grow in the music realm. 

Check out Anna Shoemaker’s debut album, Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire) on all streaming platforms now!