NYC art-rockers Ecce Shnak have released ‘Anna O’, the third single from their forthcoming full-length, ‘Dandy Variances’, which is now slated for release in early 2027 via Records, Man Records. The track arrives as a particularly unruly preview of the album, combining the band’s art-rock swagger with grunge muscle and a distinctly theatrical sense of scale.
The story of ‘Anna O’ though, begins well before it became a song. Its lyrics originated as a poem by Robin Kneubuhl, mother of Ecce Shnak composer, bassist, and baritone vocalist David Roush. For the first time, Roush — who has traditionally written the band’s lyrics — stepped aside and allowed someone else to write the words.
Kneubuhl wrote the poem months before Roush and producer Jeff Lucci began developing what would become ‘Anna O’. In March 2019, the two were working on a noisy instrumental when they decided to try Kneubuhl’s poem against the music. The combination proved unexpectedly natural, and the poem became the song’s lyric.
The result is a captivating anthem with serious grunge energy. ‘Anna O’ takes the tension and ideas of Kneubuhl’s writing and throws them into an explosive musical setting, with the song’s art-rock ambition and theatricality pushing against its rawer, heavier instincts.
Kneubuhl has characterized the poem as “a lament about tragic contradictions in contemporary feminist thought and practice.” She wholeheartedly believes in the ideals of feminism, while also expressing concern that those ideals can be misused toward nefarious ends, with consequences for women and others alike. Those contradictions form the conceptual foundation of ‘Anna O’, giving the song a lyrical tension that sits beneath its deliberately unruly surface.
Frontman David Roush explains, “The song’s tragic hero embodies both a noteworthy psychoanalytic patient of Freud’s protégé Josef Breuer and the real-life gun-slinging heroine Annie Oakley. Though Anna is beleaguered by the contradictions Kneubuhl observes in the poem’s story, she ultimately emerges triumphant in the fight against patriarchy by the song’s end,” explains
Ecce Shnak’s own history is rooted in New York City’s experimental music community. Formed in 2011, the band — pronounced “Eh-kay sh-knock” — is made up of David Roush (composer, bassist and baritone vocalist), Bella Komodromos (vocals), Chris Krasnow (guitar), Gannon Ferrell (guitar), and Henry Buchanan-Vaughn (drums).
While ‘Anna O’ marks a new chapter in the band’s approach to songwriting, its production involves a number of accomplished studio figures. Roush and Jeff Lucci recorded and produced the single, with Lucci helping shape the musical foundation for Kneubuhl’s poem. Grammy award-winning producer Mario McNulty (David Bowie, Prince, NIN, Julian Lennon) mixed the single, which was mastered by multi-platinum engineer Kris Crummett (Sum 41, Sleeping With Sirens, Dance Gavin Dance).
The music video was directed by LA-based film producer DJay Brawner, who also did the videos for ‘Vincent’ and ‘Eddie, Legalistic Homeslice’. Ecce Shnak’s soprano, Bella Komodromos, plays Anna, who is deeply distressed and entrapped in an asylum. Through an act of heroic resistance, she overthrows her abusive doctor and his servile aid, finally setting herself free.
Ecce Shnak’s acclaimed 2025 ‘Shadows Grow Fangs’ EP was mixed by Nicholas Vernhes (Animal Collective, Deerhunter, Wild Nothing, War on Drugs) and mastered by Grammy award-winning engineer Joe LaPorta (David Bowie, The Weeknd, Foo Fighters, Vampire Weekend). The band subsequently completed a West coast, East coast and a UK tour with EMF, whose stellar track ‘LGBTQ+ Lover’ also featured both Davey and Bella on vocals.
Another glimpse into the full-length Ecce Shnak has been building toward — a record where art-rock swagger, grunge grit, theatrical ambition, and experimental instincts collide — ‘Anna O’ is out now, available from digital music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
CREDITS
Words by Robin Kneubuhl
Music composed by David Roush
Recorded and produced by Jeff Lucci
Mixed by Mario McNulty
Mastered by Kris Crummett
Video Director – DJay Brawner
Senior Executive Producer – Djay Brawner
Executive Producer – Max Rose
Co-produced by Beth Narducci, Brooks Jones and David Roush
Single released by Records, Man Records
Ecce Shnak photos by Rose Callahan. Stylist: Fay Leshner
A&R: Beth Narducci for You + Me Entertainment
Publicity by Shauna McLarnon for Shameless Promotion PR