Daneshevskaya is the project of Anna Beckerman, a preschool social care worker by day in Brooklyn and art-folk craftsman by night. Growing up in a musical family where both parents professionally studied and taught music, becoming a creative was almost second-nature to Beckerman. Beckerman inherited her middle name, Daneshevskaya, from her Russian-Jewish great-grandmother. Although she never met her, naming the project Daneshevskaya was Beckerman’s way of extending a familial connection into her music.
Daneshevskaya’s new song “Scrooge” is a whimsical track, rooted in sadness yet staying true to the artist’s romantic tinge. Daneshevskaya has a knack for effortlessly walking you through their thought process and this song is no exception. The cadence of the chorus in “Scrooge” gives an effect of trickling emotion while leaving the listener with an impression of optimism. Formerly existing as a fan-favorite demo, “Scrooge” is a swirling look at estrangement in a relationship, under the veil of Daneshevskaya’s signature dark romanticism. There’s a sadness to these moments of sobriety, Daneshevskaya explains;
This song is about making someone a villain so that you can accept that they don’t want to be in your life anymore.
Becoming detached from someone in that way to the point where you can see them like other people see them is empowering, but also really sad. Even though it was written a few years ago, it keeps being relevant in my life.
The song was mixed by Marcus Paquin (The Weather Station, The National, Julia Jacklin) who brought the reimagined demo more textural dimension, adding new arrangements of strings, guitars, and hushed double vocals. Watch the accompanying music video for “Scrooge” below, a haunting visual featuring the artist walking through a seemingly abandoned amusement park. The video was directed by bandmate and collaborator, Maddy Leshner.
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