Anna

Product Information

Between June and August 2012, Courteeners appeared at the Chester Rocks, T in the Park and Reading and Leeds Festivals festivals, as well as a one-off show in Manchester to coincide with that year's Olympic Games. Fray broke his ankle on New Year's Day 2012, tearing ligaments in the process, resulting in him needing four months to recover. Sometime after, they had accumulated six-to-seven new songs, though Fray was unsure of what direction they would take.

Fray described the final artwork as attempting to "convey that kind of elegance but a bit more industrial". He explained that the material on Falcon were written as acoustic songs, whereas for the new material, he was "building [them] up and getting drum beats and bass parts down" prior to them entering a studio. They spent the rest of the year working on their new album at a studio in Manchester, with the intent on releasing it early in the following year. On 8 November 2012, Anna was announced for release in three months' time; alongside this, the album's track listing was posted online. Fray said they wanted to hire a newcomer to do the art, instead of finding a well-known artist, eventually coming across Paul X Johnson through mutual friends.evokes the sound of Doves, and describes a woman who enjoys the idea of love than the person she is with.

Islington Gazette 's Stephen Moore commented that the "sluggish feel to much of the LP that drowns out, or at least distracts from, what was once a key strength".

Following a meeting with Joseph Cross, he was enlisted to produce the band's next album; sessions were held at 80 Hertz Studios. PopMatters contributor Ben Olson saw Anna as being "every bit as infectious as their impressive debut, but it is bigger, glossier, and clearly intended to be played in massive, sold out stadiums".

Fray intentionally wanted to work with someone within the members' age range; he met Cross while at a party, who inquired about what new material the band had. Anna is an indie pop album that expands on the use of synthesizers and incorporation of electronic sounds that were partially alluded to with Falcon. They ended the year with another UK tour, and the release of the album's third and final single "Are You in Love with a Notion?At the end of the year, the band played three UK shows in their hometown of Manchester in December 2011. was released as the album's third single on 6 December 2013; the seven-inch vinyl edition featured a remix of "Are You in Love with a Notion?