REVIEW: Youth, Nostalgia, and New York Nights: The Sound of Anaïs & The Hoops
WRITTEN BY LAUREN CHENETTE
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Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Anaïs & The Hoops delivers a strikingly personal and adventurous debut with her new EP Growing Pains. Across six tracks, Anaïs merges her background in jazz with indie-pop and folk sensibilities, resulting in a record that feels both timeless and distinctly of the era. These tracks reveal an emotional sincerity and highlight a strong grasp of melody and arrangement, cementing Anaïs as one of the most exciting rising voices of the indie scene.
The title Growing Pains is very fitting. Written during her move from California to New York, the EP documents the liminal space between adolescence and adulthood, nostalgia and self-discovery. The album is less about neat resolutions than about capturing the messy, beautiful process of becoming who she is today. As Anaïs herself explains, these are the first songs that truly felt like her, and that intimacy radiates from start to finish.
Thematically, Growing Pains wrestles with the contradictions of youth, longing for the simplicity of childhood while pushing towards independence. It’s a universal experience, but Anaïs captures it with simplicity and charm, often lacing her reflections with wry humor and self-awareness. That balance keeps the record from feeling overly earnest, there’s always a wink or moment of levity tucked in between the melancholy.
The record’s collaborative spirit is one of its greatest strengths. Produced by Ben Coleman and enriched by contributions from Anaïs’ bandmates and friends, each track carries the imprint of community. Whether it’s her mother lending lyrical refines to “Passe le temps” or a poem by Alex Brandy forming the backbone of “Cool”, the EP feels like a living scrapbook, pieced together with care and authenticity. That patchwork approach gives Growing Pains a warmth and vitality that studio polish alone can’t achieve.
Musically, Anaïs proves herself adept at balancing playfulness with emotional depth. Her jazz-inflected vocals, smoky, expressive, and surprisingly agile, anchor the record. The effect recalls the intimacy of classic vocalists while remaining refreshingly modern. Songs like “Cool” shimmer with an indie-pop glow, catchy and breezy on the surface but layered with lyrical nuance. Meanwhile, the French-language “Passe le temps” adds a cosmopolitan touch, showcasing her versatility and widening the EP’s emotional palette.
One of the most compelling aspects of Anaïs & The Hoops is the way the music evokes nostalgia without succumbing to parody. The warm guitar tones, vintage-tinged production, and laid back grooves, feels lived-in rather than costume-like. The EP nods to folk and jazz traditions, but never feels trapped by them. Instead, Anaïs threads those influences into a sound that is unmistakably her own.
At just over 20 minutes, Growing Pains leaves the listener wanting more, but that’s part of the charm. It’s a snapshot of an artist in motion, still shaping her identity but already standing out in a crowded field. For fans of indie-pop that’s smart, soulful, and unafraid to play with genre, Anaïs & The Hoop’s Growing Pains is a must-listen.