Annie Dressner has released ‘For The Thrill Of It’ on 21 February 2025. A great standalone single, it is a song that combines the giddy rush of a cracking pop tune with a wonderfully crystal-clear voice while its lyrical list of micro aggressions point to its serious subject matter, male entitlement and misogyny in the music industry. There is also a hugely enjoyable video to accompany the song. To celebrate its release, she kindly answered my questions about the song and her forthcoming activities.
Tell us about your new single, ‘For The Thrill Of It’.
‘For The Thrill Of It’ is my newest single, which stems from my own personal experience. Unfortunately, there is still a pervasive issue of misogyny in the music industry, where inappropriate behaviour too often goes unaddressed or overlooked; the song aims to inspire positive change in attitudes towards women in music and to encourage women to feel safe in speaking out. Rather than blatantly spelling it out lyrically, I thought it would be fun to metaphorically speak about what people might do, even though they might know or should know that they shouldn’t do it. ‘For The Thrill Of It’ is how I imagined a possible motivation for that behaviour might have been.
Was there one particularly incident that inspired it or a series of events?
This song was inspired by a particular event, which deeply upset me. I actually had written another song about it as well (which will be on my next album) but then wanted to try to write one that spoke about the subject in more of a metaphorical way. But I think it was the tip of the iceberg making me want to write a song about a subject that has bothered me for many years.
Do you think misogyny in the music business is getting worse? (In the wider world and especially on social media, it feels like there is a lot of push back against any gains that had been made in recent years)
I don’t think I would be able to judge if it is getting worse, but I will say that I have many friends and colleagues who are men in music and they are lovely! There are just a few who I have encountered that have crossed the line. I do know I am not alone in having these experiences and do feel that it needs addressing as surely, these days, people know it is not acceptable to do things, especially when these things have been called out repeatedly.
The video for the song looks very enjoyable to make. Please tell us about it and whether it was a conscious decision to treat a very serious subject in a light-hearted manner.
Thank you very much! It was also quite good exercise! Honestly it was impromptu and shot on an iPhone. I’d been trying to think of a way to portray the song in a video and when I was in that room, I thought it could be cool. The first line is ‘Do you touch art at museums’ – and full disclosure, it was shot in a museum (but I was allowed to touch everything in the room)… so I thought it was a bit fitting.
Kathryn Williams features on the single. How did the collaboration come about?
Kathryn is such a lovely person! I met her through my good friends and musical collaborators Polly Paulusma and David Ford. I sent it for Kathryn to have a listen, and she really liked the song. As she’s such a great musician and singer, and since she liked the song, I thought I’d see if she wanted to do the harmonies on it – and luckily for me, she said yes! Also – side note, Kathryn Williams & Withered Hand’s album ‘Willson Williams’ is my favourite of last year! So go check that out, too!
Who would be your dream collaborators? This is a fantasy list so could include dead as well as living artists.
Paul Simon, Carly Simon (wow – that’s a lot of Simons), Sheryl Crow & Ben Kweller.
You are self-releasing the single and doing the press for it as well. Is there a particular reason for this and do you expect to take a similar approach with future releases?
My budget did not allow for me to hire a press person for the single, and I used to do my own PR and thought, why not?!
You are touring in March with Danny & the Champions of the World. What can audiences expect? Any new unreleased songs? Are you performing solo or having a band with you?
They can expect to be able to purchase some exclusive merch for For The Thrill Of It… honestly it’s a great show! I will be singing for a half an hour and then Danny & The Champions of the World will do their set. Danny’s new album You Are Not A Stranger Here is excellent and critically acclaimed. Definitely don’t miss this tour! All the ticket links are available on my website.
You are currently working on your fifth album. When is it likely to be released? At this stage, are you noticing any major differences from your wonderful fourth album, ‘I Thought It Would Be Easier’?
I wouldn’t like to guess – but I will be updating my mailing list and socials as soon as I know. Peter Bruntnell, another esteemed singer-songwriter and musician is producing it for me. I actually met him at The Betsy Trotwood in London for Danny’s album launch in mid-October! The last album was produced by me and my husband, Paul Goodwin (another great songwriter!) at home – so having a different producer will change the sound, inevitably. Peter is the perfect producer for this set of songs, and it’s been a very fun and uplifting – a great experience – and the record is starting to come together and sounding great!
Could you talk us through your song writing approach. Which comes first: the subject matter, an initial line of lyrics, a melody or does it vary wildly from song to song?
Often I play guitar and sing at the same time. I set up my voice notes on my phone. If something feels right, I’ll go back over it and write it down and just sort of a build a song that way. Rarely does the music and lyrics come out at separate times.
I know you were originally from New York City but are based in the UK. Were there particular reasons for the move and what are the major differences you find between living in the two countries?
I got married! To an Englishman! I think the differences are about to be more prominent than ever. There are definitely pros and cons to each place, but I’m happy to be in the UK for the time being!
Where are the best places for keeping up to date with your activities (website. Social media etc)?
My team says: The Mailing List! Which can be found on my website. I only send out about one a month, and it’s a great way to keep in touch, especially with how unreliable the algorithms are on social media. That being said… I am on all the social media platforms and I hope you will follow me there!
Also, if you like For The Thrill Of It and happen to be into TikTok or things like that, let’s make it a thing! I’m really proud of this song and I hope you enjoy it!
Dressner – For The Thrill Of It (feat. Kathryn Williams) [Official Video]
httpv://open.spotify.com/
UPCOMING LIVE DATES
[Support Slot] Danny & The Champions Of The World – Tour
Wed 12 Mar – CARDIFF Acapela Studios
Thu 13 Mar – OXFORD Jericho
Fri 14 Mar – NEWPORT (Isle of Wight) Strings Bar & Venue Sat 15 Mar – EXETER Phoenix
Sun 16 Mar – BIRMINGHAM Hare & Hounds
Tue 18 Mar – NOTTINGHAM Angel Microbrewery Wed 19 Mar – MANCHESTER Gullivers
Thu 20 Mar – LEEDS Brudenell
Fri 21 Mar – GLASGOW Hug & Pint
Sat 22 Mar – GOSFORTH Civic Theatre
Sun 23 Mar – BIRKENHEAD Future Yard
Wed 26 Mar – NORWICH Arts Centre
Thu 27 Mar – GUILDFORD The Star Inn
Fri 28 Mar – BRISTOL Louisiana
Sat 29 Mar – BRIGHTON Green Door Store Sun 30 Mar – PORTSMOUTH Wedgewood Rooms
Headline
8 November – The Grace, London
Links/Socials
Website: https://anniedressner.com/home Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniedressner/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anniedressner/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AnnieDressner X: https://x.com/AnnieDressner
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
