Andy Shauf

"Canadian songwriter's new album, The Party, isn't one you'll want to miss." - Consequence of Sound ("The Worst In You" premiere)

"Musically, The Party is just as robustly realized. After last year's superb bedroom-produced album The Bearer Of Bad News — for which Shauf initially drafted as many as 100 songs — The Party's narrative framework lends focus and restraint to his prolific writing." - NPR: First Listen

He’s a sad-sack Saskatchewanian songwriter who grew up in a tiny town (pop. 919) off the Trans-Canada Highway somewhere between Swift Current and Moose Jaw. His breakthrough album was called Bearer of Bad News. But don’t feel bad for ANDY SHAUF. Social invitations have been pouring in from Jeff Tweedy, Nick Hornby and Low (for whom he opened two U.S. tours in 2015). Now the self-produced multi-instrumentalist and master of subtlety is ready to invite everyone to The Party, his fourth album and first for Anti-.

The Party is a series of character sketches, ostensibly set at a specific gathering. It’s not exactly a concept record or a John Hughes script for a Robert Altman film, but writing it was definitely a way for Shauf to get out of his own head. The Party will spawn no hangover regrets for its creator, even if its characters have more than a few. On it, awkward characters show up “Early to the Party,” dance in the living room (“Martha Sways”), and either reveal life-changing secrets (“To You”) or try their hardest to reveal nothing at all (“The Magician”). Fuzzed-out guitars collide with string sections and dreamy synths, all draped over delicate piano, acoustic guitars and rainy-day drums. Oh, and clarinet. On Bearer of Bad News, Shauf started out with 100 songs and whittled it down to 11. This time, with a clearer vision and narrative construct in mind, he focused on 15 and cut it to 10. Brevity is key: these vignettes are rooted in classic pop songwriting, with shades of the Shins, Belle and Sebastian and Grandaddy seeping into Shauf’s modern arrangements.

On tour this summer with case/lang/veirs!

RIYL: Belle and Sebastian, Andrew Bird, Randy Newman, Grandaddy, Clientele
TRY: #6, 1, 3, 5
DIRTY: #2

Download full album here:
https://www.piratepirate.com/downloads/

More Info Here:
http://www.andyshauf.com/
https://twitter.com/andyshauf
https://www.facebook.com/andyshaufmusic/
https://andyshauf.bandcamp.com/
http://anti.com/artists/andy-shauf/