Sickness Anna – Sorry For Everything
“Mad and sad on purpose” is a mission statement to live and die by, perfect to represent the debut EP from newly-formed Buffalo trio Sickness Anna. Sorry For Everything (SFE) listens like a journal entry, six songs of heartfelt guitar rock, no doubt influenced by the 90s alternative greats like Smashing Pumpkins, and whatever wave of ephemeral emo/post-hardcore we’re currently on. A somewhat-subtle nod to frontman Nick Sessanna’s name (try switching the ‘N’ and the ‘S,’ folks), the band’s moniker is both self-referential and fitting, a pit-in-your-stomach vibe that feels morose. Joined by drummer Jake Sessanna and Everything in Waves frontman Anthony DelPlato (who mixed and mastered SFE and is also co-writer for his/Sessanna’s electronic project Jaugust), the trio slams through six heartbreakers, bringing new art to life while also burning ceremonial bridges tied to other eras. Also, we have to wonder, how did they get the iconic Buffalo landmark Cameron’s 24 Hour Store to change their sign? Sorry for Everything is our Album of the Week.
The EP starts with “It’s Getting Worse,” an ode to running out of time and space, in whatever forms those might take. Sickness Anna set the pace here with gigantic guitars, sludgy bass, and vocals that split the difference between singing and screaming. While the music has more in common with their emo and post-hardcore contemporaries, there’s definitely a Corgan influence here (e.g. the prominent guitar solo around the 2:15 mark). By the time the song closes out and you hear Sessanna screaming about getting older and his heart hurting, it’s clear we’re in for a roller coaster of heavy emotions. Sometimes, roller coasters are terrifying, but other times, they’re cathartic… There’s a little bit of both those energies here on SFE.
Big and angry is the main focus here. Joining “It’s Getting Worse” is the album’s angriest song, “Come Back Home.” Raw guitar notes pair with syncopated bass drum hits in a way that beats you over the head before giving way to a quiet/loud dynamic that you might expect from a band like Pixies. By the time the song washes into the guitar-only bridge, Sessanna sings “I could give you what you want, but you would burn it to the ground,” a scorch-everything approach for a situation that’s already, seemingly, been scorched down to the bare earth. The title track “Sorry For Everything” plays around in this territory too, but seems to be aimed more at the narrator; “Do you think I am still a good person? Do you think I am still worth loving?” Dreamy guitars lay overtop pummeling chords in a way that feels somber, and it’s a fitting mood for a song where someone’s apologizing for literally everything they’ve ever done wrong.
Other moments on the album include the indie pop earworm of “All The Time,” the devastating acoustic ballad “The Ghost of You And Me,” and the slow burning crusher “Nothing Mattress.” While the beginning of “Nothing Mattress” could fit on a long-lost The Hotelier or Tigers Jaw album, Sickness Anna bring it back to alt-rock territory (solo included) just in time to ask the void: “Everything’s fine / nothing is bad / will it hurt worse if I tell myself that?”
Sorry For Everything is out now (January 23rd, 2026). The Linktree for all listening options can be found here.
Categorised in: Album of the Week
This post was written by Wyatt Edwards