Emotive indie rock band Endearments announce debut album 'An Always Open Door'
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“‘Real Deal’ strikes at the core of what makes Endearments’ style so potent. Initially, Marksson’s vocals feel airy and weightless, sighing as the band’s glittering guitar tones churn away. Yet, Nair and Haywood give the track a propulsive kick, ratcheting up the energy on the chorus as the drums pound, the guitars gleam, and Marksson’s vocals take flight.”
“Built on moody synths and sharp guitar lines…showcases the chemistry between Kevin Marksson (vocals, bass, synths), Anjali Nair (guitar), and Will Haywood Smith (drums).”
Today, Brooklyn’s Endearments announce their debut album, An Always Open Door, along with the release of its first single, “Real Deal.” After recently sharing the news of their signing to Trash Casual, the trio of vocalist/bassist Kevin Marksson, guitarist Anjali Nair, and drummer Will Haywood Smith have been plotting their first full-length body of work — nine tracks of emotionally dense and instrumentally lush synth-backed indie rock. The upcoming album will be released on March 6 and furthers the band’s fruitful collaboration with producer Abe Seiferth (Nation of Language, Car Seat Headrest) — Pre-order the album.
“Real Deal,” the album’s first single, is an exploration of a slowly decaying relationship. Its central drama unfolds in a melancholic, saturated tapestry of layered guitars and climactic white-knuckle drive — one that culminates in a naked refrain that reflects the sudden and painful realization of being just an accessory to someone else’s desires — Stream.
The accompanying music video, directed by Paul Desilva, follows the story of a drunken hookup and the self-conscious revelations that occur in its aftermath. Discussing the song and video, frontman Kevin Marksson explains:
“‘Real Deal’ is a song about feeling like you're just a supporting player in someone else's romantic idealization. I hint at Apollo and Daphne in the lyrics and the idea that someone can be so focused on what love 'should' feel like that they forget there is a real person on the other end. The music video plays with that concept in a fun way by having our heroine wake up in a strange apartment after what seemed like a perfect evening, but maybe wasn't as perfect as she thought.”
Reminiscent of similarly affectionate guitar acts like Youth Group and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Real Deal” reflects the emotive heart of Endearments as a project and their steadfast capacity to play through the pain.
AN ALWAYS OPEN DOOR TRACKLIST
1. Summersun
2. Marianne
3. Real Deal
4. Bank Lights
5. People
6. Saline
7. Woolgathering
8. Frances Ha
9. Your Knight
ABOUT ENDEARMENTS:
The music of Endearments has always turned a mirror on the inner self, reflecting life’s deeply personal, often painful moments in the light of clarity and new resolve. Principal songwriter Kevin Marksson and his bandmates, guitarist Anjali Nair and drummer Will Haywood Smith, craft emotionally dense and instrumentally lush pop songs, viewed through the lens of contemporary, dreamy indie rock and embedded with a John Hughes-ian romanticism.
Drawing on the emotive qualities of 80s synthpop and late-90s emo in equal measure, An Always Open Door, Endearments’ first full-length record, fine-tunes this heartfelt songcraft, widening the band’s influences and turning up the volume while maintaining the raw lyrical storytelling that’s made them a mainstay in Brooklyn’s highly competitive scene. Marksson’s blitzing, blistering inner monologue on “Marianne” and the melancholic explosiveness of “Real Deal” conjure comparisons to the likes of Camera Obscura and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart; at the same time, Nair’s stirring, wall-of-sound guitars on “Summersun” and Haywood Smith’s maximalist drums on “Saline” evoke the textures of shoegaze and the driving rhythm of big beat.
This shift towards energetic indie rock accompanies a change in the band’s approach to songwriting, one that trades raw immediacy for meditative contemplation. “When I wrote the first two Endearments EPs, Father of Wands and It Can Be Like This, I was only recently outside of the events that inspired those songs: a failed marriage; a hopeful new relationship,” Marksson recalls. “When I sat down to write lyrics for our first full-length record, I had no intention of interrogating those memories and feelings again. Nevertheless, as the songs took shape, I felt myself looking back at the last six years with a renewed sense of curiosity.”
The end result is a record that reveals and reevaluates the past, foregrounding emotional truths through performances that are as kinetic as they are introspective. Produced by Abe Seiferth (Nation of Language, Guerilla Toss) and featuring additional vocals from Liv Price (Forever Honey) and guitars from Chris Croarkin (Diary), the album blends dreamy and down-to-earth influences into a vibrant, varied, and dynamic image of the band’s inner world.
An Always Open Door will be available on March 6, 2026, via Trash Casual.
photo by Rita Iovine
For more information on Endearments, please visit:
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