“Boys” is one of those songs that you can walk away after listening to and think you know what? That was oddly catchy in a strange punky pop way? There’s a twinge of a deeper meaning there but it’s only unveiled through the second or third listen through. Luckily thanks to Anie’s unique vocals and catchy guitar sections I didn’t mind listening to this one a few times over (it was more than a few) 

“Boys” has that classic punk pop feel throughout the track and with Anie’s narrative vocal work throughout the track there’s a descriptive element of story telling that flows nicely through the verse and into each chorus and bridge where the artist hints her disguised meaning of the true subject matter with the lyrics “It’s not about boys”, which is then more obviously noted in her lyrics and track breakdown section near the 2:40 mark. 

After catching up with Anie over her songs true nature she helped me clarify the meaning behind the tune. “it’s a song I wrote during the lockdown when there was a lot of discourse around women’s safety after a string of horrifying events took place one after the other. The death of Sarah Everard shook the UK and Ireland, and there was a sentiment of a lack of safety for women. I wrote the song out of frustration for the way things are, and that’s where I guess a lot of the lyrics come from. The pop-punk up-beat nature is an intentional contrast, and a lot of the time people walk away from hearing the song for the first time being like “wow, that was a feel-good banger”, but on a closer listen can be faced with the darker context, and that’s what I want to do with my music – make them think a little bit harder while at the same time have a pleasant listening experience.”