Asha Banks’ “Anything But” is about needing to hear the truth but not wanting to hear it. It is a poignant track exploring the tension between the need for clarity and the desire to maintain the relationship, as Banks describes them as “unable to walk away”. “Anything But” therefore exists within the grey area where neither person in the relationship is saying what actually needs to be said. The track knows the truth before its narrator feels able to accept it, creating a tension between what she knows she needs to hear and what she desperately hopes to avoid. It is a recurring emotional conflict in Banks’ discography that she has absolutely mastered.
As usual, the production of the track works just as hard as the lyricism does, reflecting the emotional restraint of the track and steadily building alongside that very tension as the song progresses. The instrumental doesn’t immediately come in at full force but instead feels contained and intimate, with space surrounding the lyrics for listeners to really take them in. The anticipation built throughout the track is undeniable, and is exactly what makes the pay-off in the bridge so satisfying.
The choruses, while bigger than the verses, are still somewhat controlled, with the instrumental growing beneath her words and giving a sense that something is trying to break through. It perfectly mirrors the lyricism, where the truth is hidden behind Banks’ description of the “talk and talk” where they say “anything but”. While her vocals are controlled in earlier parts of the track, Banks’ vocal control is particularly striking in the stretched-out “soon”, where a simple lyric becomes an aching vocal moment that allows her voice to take centre stage without disrupting the song’s restraint.
Banks’ lyricism is once again on full display on “Anything But”, with the track using vivid imagery to portray a relationship defined by mutual hurt, dependence and an inability to let go. Lines such as “lick each other’s wounds” show that both of them are hurt, comforting each other while staying inside the very thing that is causing that pain. There’s also a distinct contrast between the mundane setting of a “coffee table” and the emotional damage of their respective “wounds”. Banks continues this imagery with lines like “Unspoken, unexcused, just to stay a little”, where she directly establishes their “unspoken” refusal to acknowledge what’s happening here, with their “unexcused” behaviour being even harder to justify. She adds “just to stay a little”, furthering the idea that she doesn’t want the truth because it means the relationship ends. There is no fixing this relationship, only prolonging it.
Banks’ lyricism continues to highlight the emotional conflict at the centre of “Anything But”, particularly through the line “Stomaching the truth, yeah, we’re so unable / To walk away”. Once again using physical imagery to represent emotional pain, “stomaching the truth” suggests that knowing what needs to be said does not necessarily make it any easier to accept. The truth is something they can recognise, but neither of them can seem to actually digest it enough to leave. That inability to walk away further establishes the dependence within their relationship, where even recognising the pain they are causing each other isn’t enough to make either of them let go.
This is particularly clear in “Knock some sense into me, take the you out of me”, which feels like one of the track’s strongest lyrical moments. Banks isn’t simply asking for the relationship to end here; she wants to remove the other person’s influence from herself entirely. “Take the you out of me” suggests that their relationship has become so deeply intertwined with her identity that leaving him also means having to rediscover herself without him. There’s a real desperation to the line, especially when paired with the repeated desire to finally hear the truth.
That desperation is only heightened when she sings “But you dance, pulling me closer / And you talk and I talk and we talk”. Rather than giving her the answer she is asking for, he pulls her further back into the relationship, replacing honesty with intimacy and conversation. The repetition of “talk” is particularly effective because they are communicating constantly without ever actually saying what needs to be said. They can talk and talk, but still avoid the one thing she needs to hear. In that sense, “Anything But” becomes more than just the title; it almost becomes a summary of their relationship, where they will say anything but the truth.
The standout moment of “Anything But” is undoubtedly the bridge, which is nothing new when it comes to Banks. All of the restraint that has been building throughout the track finally gives way in one cathartic rush. The instrumental suddenly feels huge, almost like the feeling of flying or running with a rush of pure adrenaline, creating this beautiful sense of movement that completely changes the atmosphere of the song. It feels euphoric, but there is still something deeply poignant underneath it, because the lyrics themselves have not reached any kind of resolution. Banks’ vocals rise alongside the instrumentation, allowing her to finally let go of some of the control that has defined the earlier parts of the track. The repeated “anything but” feels increasingly desperate here, while the background vocals of “and I’m yours” and “it’s all yours” add another layer to the desperation of the moment and the difficulty of the situation she finds herself stuck in. Rather than sounding like a confident declaration, they feel almost pleading, as though she is clinging to the relationship even while asking for the truth that could ultimately end it. It makes the bridge feel like a release of emotion rather than a release from the situation itself, with the production soaring while Banks remains caught in the same conflict she has been trying to avoid throughout the track.
Then, just as suddenly, everything begins to calm down again. The instrumental pulls back and so do Banks’ vocals, creating an almost quiet, reluctant acceptance after the intensity of the bridge. The repetition of “anything but” feels almost hypnotic here, with the backing vocals continuing underneath as Banks sings “Anything but, you say” before answering with “Anything but, I say”. It feels like the same cycle of avoidance that has defined the relationship throughout the track, with neither person quite willing to say what they actually mean. As the outro progresses, however, the repetition begins to shift. “It’s anything but” is repeated twice, and while the first remains sung, the final delivery becomes more spoken, stripping the track back to its most direct moment yet. After all of the pleading and emotional intensity that came before it, there is something incredibly poignant about how simply Banks delivers those final words. It feels like a quiet acknowledgement of the truth she has spent the entire track trying not to hear, leaving “Anything But” on a moment of clarity rather than a dramatic resolution. After all of the pleading, denial and emotional intensity, Banks doesn’t need to scream the realisation. She simply says it.
“Anything But” joins “Biggest Fan” as the second single released ahead of Asha Banks’ upcoming third EP, “Bottled Up”, due out October 2nd. Continuing to showcase Banks’ evolving sound and emotionally honest lyricism, the two singles offer an exciting glimpse into what’s to come from her next project.
Stream ‘Anything But’ on all major streaming platforms now.
Written by Caitlin Kennedy-Sheerin.
Official Single Cover Artwork by Jivan West.