“Darling Anna” by 2.O.F.

Sometimes, particularly in love and relationships, we inadvertently hurt the people that matter the most more than we ever would have wanted to, and in “Darling Anna,” 2.O.F. pleads for another chance in what amounts to one of the most moving pop ballads of the summer season, and the undebated star of the smashing debut EP The Machine. We don’t have to study this track very hard to find the mammoth emotion that lies just beneath the surface of the chic synth play and monolithic vocal melodies that form it; everywhere we look, Tim Milliken – the creative force behind 2.O.F. – is sewing a personal touch into the music, and imparting feelings that cannot be expressed through mere words by themselves. “Darling Anna” isn’t quite as fundamentally experimental as the other two songs on The Machine are, but one thing is for certain – if you’re a discriminating pop fan, this track is one the most intriguing and multifaceted indie singles to come out of Britain or the United States this year. It’s not a perfect composition, but in terms of originality, it’s a tough number to top.

AMAZON: www.amazon.com/Darling-Anna/dp/B07MFCCDL9

Cosmetically, “Darling Anna” is an entrancing pop ballad that relies on its dreamy rhythm to forge its emotive backdrop rather than using its lyrics alone. The instruments are impressing just as much of a mood on the music as any of the verses do, and there’s even a couple of moments – particularly outside of the chorus – where it feels like they’re developing the narrative a little more clearly than the words ever do (or could, for that matter). At first glance, I wasn’t very enthralled with the drum track here, but I think I can understand what Milliken was trying to do with it in this situation. There’s a lot of weight in the bass parts we hear in “Darling Anna,” as there is in the synth’s guiding melody, and if the percussion was any more pronounced than it already is, it probably would have made the instrumental half of this single sound clustered and overwhelming in some of its most crucial junctures. It’s clean-cut pop arranging at its most black and white, but it’s a lot more alluring than its simple design might imply.

Though I’m not certain that it would hold up as well in a live setting as it did in the studio, I’d be really interested to see 2.O.F.’s set from The Machine on stage sometime in the future. It’s not psychedelic in nature, but it does have a spacey, freeform stylization that would make it either unmatched jam material (that could be extended or transformed into anything during a performance) or a decidedly less theatrical take on what we’ve already heard here. My gut tells me that it’s more likely to be the former than the latter, but all hypotheticals and unknowns aside, “Darling Anna” is an awesome addition to the 2019 summer soundtrack, and possibly one of the few pop ballads that can satisfy R&B, electronica and alternative rock fans the same this season. 2.O.F. is an obscure project today, but I can’t see that remaining the case as long as it keeps delivering magnificent material like this.

Clay Burton

The music of 2.O.F. has been heard all over the world due to the promotional services offered by Danie Cortese Entertainment & Publicity. Learn more here – www.daniecorteseent.com/