Back in January we spoke with Anna Butterss, the Los Angeles–based bassist whose résumé reads like a who’s who of collaborations. (SML, Jeff Parker’s ETA IVtet, Makaya McCraven, Jason Isbell, boygenius, Neko Case, Flea… the list goes on.) Butterss also releases solo records, and as you might expect, they tend to showcase a rotating cast of the remarkable musicians in their orbit.
That pattern held true for 2024’s Mighty Vertebrate, which teamed Butterss with SML bandmates Josh Johnson (sax) and Gregory Uhlmann (guitar) plus Ben Lumsdaine on drums. Today, International Anthem shared an outtake from those sessions alongside the announcement of a skull-colored vinyl reissue of the album.
The new cut is titled “Ninths.” It opens with Uhlmann in a post-punk mode, delivering a wiry motif that threads through the track. Yet Johnson’s sax eventually takes center stage, yielding a moody, hypnotic atmosphere without losing its driving energy. Listen below.
