Activities

With credits ranging from indie pop and rock (Phoebe Bridgers, Aimee Mann, Jenny Lewis, Bright Eyes) to left-of-center jazz (Makaya McCraven, Josh Johnson, Jeff Parker), LA-based Aussie bassist Anna Butterss was poised to make a strikingly eclectic debut, and she delivers with Activities. It’s essentially a one-woman show with Butterss on upright and electric basses, guitar, keyboards, drums, programming, vocals, and even flute. Guest appearances are minimal, but because of that, they pop even more—Josh Johnson’s alto sax on “Number One” and “Ben,” Ben Lumsdaine’s drumming on the latter as well as the opening “Entrance,” and Christian Euman’s drums on the ethereal “Blevins” are key moments. Butterss throws genre distinctions overboard from the start, and every song has its own fresh elements, often starting from strong bass hooks, guitar counterlines, and glitchy, melodic synth fragments that crisscross and intermingle in infectious ways. “Doo Wop” is a highlight: a wacky idea someone else might have saved for outtakes but that Butterss uses to wondrous creative effect.