“Don’t spook those horses,” John Andrews begs on the first track of his debut solo album, Bit By The Fang, under the moniker John Andrews & The Yawns. It is an apt description of what life must be like while stringing together such a warmly psychedelic record while living in Amish country and working at the Salvation Army. And Bit By The Fang has that thing that good albums have: the ability to make you forget whether you just started listening or if you’re on your fourth time around.
Bit By The Fang has been in the works since 2013, but due to other commitments (Andrews play drums for Quilt and keys for Woods), it’s taken two years to complete. After getting a break from touring with his other acts, Andrews moved back to his hometown of Yardville, NJ and recorded the album in his grandparent’s living room. Why not? I mean, the back up band he recorded the album with, “The Yawns,” doesn’t even exist. The band is just him. So, what better place could it have possibly been recorded in? None. Grandparent’s living room, imaginary back up band, inspired while working at a thrift shop in Amish country; it’s a recipe for indie gold.
Bit By The Fang makes you feel like you smoked weed three hours ago — a sort of comfortably numb feeling, like a long road trip headed somewhere you want to go. Andrews creates songs with such warmth, they make it calming to poke fun at your own death, like “I’ll Go To Your Funeral (If You Go To Mine),” where he emotes, “Hey Judy/Somewhere down the line/I’ll go to your funeral/If you go to mine.” Goddamn, if that isn’t one of the most cathartic lines ever sung.
“Hear Me Out” comes on like the sun rising over a field where you passed out the night before, warming you up and helping you come to terms with whatever you’re going through. There is something deftly reassuring in Andrews voice — a laming influence that comes through his other instruments, too. The entire album feels like a Valium without the druggy narcotic effect. It’s a healthy dose of self-possessed coolness.
Bit By The Fang is an immersive introduction to an artist that is sure to be doing remarkable things for a long time to come. So, lean back, close your eyes, and enter Andrews’ blurry landscape of chill.
Bit By The Fang is available now via Woodsist.
Review by Timothy White. Follow him on Twitter @TipToTheHip