Anniversary - You are the Garden | Certified Perfect Song.

/// A Chance Encounter, A Lasting Impression

In the spring of 2023, I stumbled into one of those unforgettable live show surprises. I had gone to see a big-name band — can’t remember who, honestly — but what I do remember is the opener: Patrick Jasper. An emotionally rich performer whose set left a quiet impression.

But the real lightning bolt hit from behind the kit.

The drummer — technical, emotional, dynamic — was everything I love about drumming embodied. His name was Andy Danstrom, a Chicago local who juggles teaching, gigging, and recording full-time. After Patrick’s set, I saw Andy sitting at the bar. I walked up, we talked music, and followed each other on Instagram. One of those brief, magnetic moments you don’t expect to circle back in such a powerful way.

/// A Bloom in "Anniversary"

Months passed. Then one day, I spotted something new on my feed: Andy had released an album under the moniker You Are the Garden. Along with the talented likes of Miles Allen, Sarah Clausen, Chet Zenor, Meredith Nesbitt, and Scott Daniel. The album was titled Six Leaf Clover. I clicked mainly out of curiosity, drawn in by the dreamy, painterly cover art. I put the album on shuffle by accident — and the first thing I heard was its closing track: “Anniversary.”

To say I was blown away is an understatement. The song hit me like a cold hug — completely stilling, deeply felt. It quickly became my most-played track of the year. Not just because of its sparse, elegant composition, but because it met me exactly where I was in my own musical life. There’s something poetic about stumbling into the final track first, like reading the last page of a novel and realizing it still makes perfect sense.

///A Quiet Weight, Beautifully Held

“Anniversary” is as simple as it is meaningful, as vibrant as it is numb, and as haunting as it is beautiful.

At the song’s heart is a cello moving in sync with acoustic guitar — both instruments dancing around rich, slow arpeggiated chord changes. Synths hover like fog, more texture than tone, with gentle white noise and high frequencies elevating the background.

Andy’s drumming is deliberately restrained: the first beat any beginner learns — kick, snare, kick, snare — yet it lands with a muddy gravity, making you feel like you're walking through thick fog or trudging a long road home. His voice follows that same rhythmic lull, doubling back on itself in followed harmonies. It’s tender — like the music is speaking directly to your inner monologue.

Then, a piano enters in between singing — not to dazzle or dominate, but to suggest something else that the song hasn't made you feel yet. It feels like a voice of hope. If the rest of the song is the walk, the piano is the streetlight around the bend, the warmth of the sun peeking through after a grey morning.

/// Circling Lyrics

“And then there’s no response. Time will tell and tear me up. I’ll throw a bucket down the well, And fish it right back up, and fish it right back up.”

That’s it. One stanza, repeated. But within those lines is a full emotional arc — resignation, repetition, a ritual of trying again even when the silence remains. It’s not about solving anything. It’s about sitting in the feeling and honoring it.

/// Five Minutes of Stillness

What makes “Anniversary” remhttp://here.Youarkable is how it gently commands your attention, not with force, but with atmosphere. It reminds me of those rare, quiet moments at a park bench, when you stop thinking, stop scrolling, and just listen. It has that kind of silence — one that envelopes you, soft and total.

For its ability to carve out emotional space with so few elements, for its devotion to feeling over flourish, and for meeting the listener in such a vulnerable, grounded place, we’re proud to name “Anniversary” the second ever Certified Perfect Song of PerfectFM.

+ Here is a link to listen to the song on all streaming platforms. Please go support the group by going to their bandcamp here. You can also listen to this song plus every song we've written about on our Spotify account playlists here.