Aunt Kelly—comprised of vocalist/guitarist/pianist Kelly Hannemann, bassist Dan Gianaris and drummer Sarah Weddle—are preparing to release their debut LP, Remember, a seven-track album of glam-rock-inspired power-pop, with crisp production that harkens back to a bygone era of stadium rock and piano-pop while simultaneously embracing modern indie sensibility and nuanced songcraft.
There’s a confidence that persists throughout Remember that is rarely found on debut albums, a testament to the level of comfort and trust shared between Aunt Kelly’s three core members. In addition to being bandmates, Hannemann and Weddle are romantic partners and have both shared living space with Gianaris, creating a familial dynamic that encourages the openness that has come to characterize Aunt Kelly’s music.
Remember kicks off with “Worse For You,” a bouncy, deceptively-upbeat piano pop track that explores the ups and downs of bipolar disorder and the impact that one’s mental illness has on the people around them.
More About Aunt Kelly’s Story
Kelly Hannemann has no problem being vulnerable. As vocalist/pianist/guitarist and primary songwriter for Chicago power-pop/rock trio Aunt Kelly, Hannemann has developed a reputation for her passionate, emotive vocals and intimate lyrics that tackle everything from her struggles with sobriety and bipolar disorder to treatises on romantic expectations, isolation, and more. On the trio’s debut LP, Remember, Hannemann’s vocals shine atop layers of glam-rock-inspired guitars and piano, with crisp production that harkens back to a bygone era of stadium rock and piano-pop while simultaneously embracing modern indie-pop sensibility and nuanced songcraft. “The songs that have always stuck with me are the ones that come to me in a few minutes and capture exactly what I’m feeling in that moment,” says Hannemann. “I feel like it helps me as a person to be able to release those emotions in a healthy way.”
To record Remember, Hannemann—along with Aunt Kelly bassist Dan Gianaris and drummer Sarah Weddle—teamed up with producer/engineer Noam Wallenberg (Mac Miller, Alan Parsons) at Rax Trax Recording in Chicago in late 2019 before the record was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the group reconvened to put the finishing touches on their long-awaited debut album. “Sometimes when you release something so long after you record it, you’re sick of the songs by the time they’re out,” says Hannemann. “I’m excited to be putting this out, it feels great that we still love these songs years later.”
Remember kicks off with “Worse For You,” a bouncy, deceptively-upbeat piano pop track that explores the ups and downs of bipolar disorder and the impact that one’s mental illness has on the people around them. “Worse For You” gives way to “Nurturing,” a guitar-driven, distorted rock & roll track that dissects personal shortcomings in romantic relationships and the disparity between fantasy and reality. “I was in my first serious long-term relationship, and I think a lot of people have this idea before they get into a serious relationship, that they’re going to be so good at it and be an ideal partner,” says Hannemann. “But then you meet someone and fall in love and it’s a surprise how much harder it is to really be there for someone.”
Elsewhere on the album, Hannemann dives deeper into the realities of mental illness with “Master of My Mind,” a deeply affecting piano-led ballad that showcases Hannemann’s powerful vocals and lyrical vulnerability as she sings about feeling helpless and out of control of her thoughts and feelings. The album closes with its title-track, “Remember,” a dissection of the fear of losing one’s memories and sense of self that provides Hannemann with a platform to deliver her strongest vocal performance to date atop a pummeling wall-of-sound. “Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been obsessed with nostalgia and remembering things,” says Hannemann. “It comforts me to be able to live in this space in my head with all these memories, and I have such a fear of losing them, but someday I probably will.”
There’s a confidence that persists throughout Remember that is rarely found on debut albums, a testament to the level of comfort and trust shared between Aunt Kelly’s three core members. In addition to being bandmates, Hannemann and Weddle are romantic partners and have both shared living space with Gianaris, creating a familial dynamic that encourages the openness that has come to characterize Aunt Kelly’s music. “We’ve all grown so close over the past few years,” says Hannemann. “There’s so much love between the three of us, I think it affects the way we play and write. We’re just so comfortable and excited to share and experience everything that comes with being in this band together.”
Remember is out June 10th, 2022.