If you’re in the mood for bittersweet reminiscence, Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf’s fifth album, The Neon Skyline, might be worth a listen. A short and sweet tale which reads like the pages of an old diary, Shauf induces unexperienced nostalgia of friends, bars, and the lingering aftertaste of a lost relationship.
While the tracks themselves range on the softer side, Shauf’s pragmatic retelling of a night spent along the neon skyline will leave you feeling heartbroken for a romance that isn’t even your own.
As the story goes: two friends are meeting for drinks at a local bar. While waiting for his friend, Shauf’s character tiptoes around previous memories of ‘Judy,’ an old connection. Upon hearing Judy is back in town, Shauf fancies the idea of running into her again.
Of course, this wouldn’t be an album if Judy didn’t show up at that very same bar that night. The tension Shauf is describing blurs with memories of their slowly souring relationship.
The final songs of the album can be described as nothing short of melancholic as the final lyrics of the album settle like dust in your head. “Oh, I can see it now, me telling you how, I found my way back home, oh, I’m already bored.”
Shauf’s mix of sprechgesang and charming songwriting is polished. With the album being written, arranged, performed, and produced by Shauf himself, rest assured that the only sense of unfinished business you will feel is the hazy memories of an ex.
