2025 marks the year that Antony Szmierek will begin therapy. “I feel like this is my year to talk to someone!” he chuckles. “I’m not sure I can endure a whole year keeping everything bottled up. I believe that if I mention it here, I’ll actually follow through.” This comment might not be surprising coming from a former English teacher who is gaining recognition for his poetic lyricism infused into lighthearted dance tracks.
2025 is also the year the Manchester-based multi-genre artist is set to unveil his debut album, ‘Service Station at the End of the Universe’. The album’s central theme is inspired by a teenage fondness for Douglas Adams' famous sci-fi work, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
“I encountered that book when I was quite young, during a caravan holiday,” he reminisces. “Even in the opening pages, he discusses grand, vast concepts; what’s real, our purpose on earth, and so on. Yet it's all viewed through the perspective of singing dolphins!”
The blend of dance-forward rhythms, humor, and introspective lyrics is a key element that makes Antony's music distinctively engaging. Naturally, his literary background plays a significant role: he began in the spoken word scene in Hulme, Manchester, honing his craft in front of tough audiences, and he attributes his “overactive imagination” to his secondary school teacher.
Regardless of the allegorical nature of his work, Antony aims to keep it accessible. “Partly, my writing style serves as a defense mechanism for myself, but I also want everyone to enjoy it. I don’t want it to be something that only ‘literary’ people appreciate,” he expresses.
Antony clarifies that ‘Service Station…’ isn’t a concept album, but it is a coherent project filled with characters inspired by real life. While it may be expected for a former teacher to adopt such a structured approach to worldbuilding, it's refreshing in an era of rising skepticism towards “the album” format, to see an artist wholeheartedly embrace it.
“When selecting the songs, it involved a genuine redrafting process,” Antony concludes. “Incorporating characters was greatly influenced by the live show, which is deeply sincere, but I realized by the end that I had created it through the lens of all these characters.”
The outcome is an extensive body of work that reflects his decade-long journey to this moment. “I was very conscious that this was my opportunity to create a complete piece with a clear beginning, middle, and end.”
‘Service Station At The End Of The Universe’ is now available.
Words: Sasha Mills
Photography: Charlie Cummings
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Antony Szmierek is beginning therapy in 2025. “I believe this is my year to talk to someone!” he chuckles. “I’m not sure if I can handle it for a whole year!”