Andy Shauf: Living Room
Gently mesmerising vocals are complemented by crisp production and subtle horns.
By Kerry Doole
Andy Shauf - Living Room (ANTI_) Few current Canadian singer/songwriters have earned as much international acclaim as Saskatchewan-raised, Toronto-based Andy Schauf. Such prestigious outlets as Uncut, Q Magazine, Stereogum, Pitchfork and more have heaped lavish praise upon his work, especially his most recent album, The Neon Skyline.
It came out in early 2020, and continues to find a receptive audience. To help keep that momentum, a video has just come out for one of the highlight tracks, Living Room. It’s a beautifully evocative clip, directed by Anne Douris.
In a press release, she expands on the concept: “This is a story about growing up lonely. In particular, it's about how wage labour - the business of having to work to survive - shapes our lives from the moment we are born. I think we mistake childhood as being a time of ‘freedom’ when actually our lives are entangled in the struggle of working adults.
“So I wanted to weave together these scenes of childhood solitude, foggy recollections of being left alone in our empty house, where playfulness and imagination are tainted by fear. Fear of the dark, fear of abandonment, fear of loss. Visually inspired by the NFB cartoons I devoured as a kid, I wanted it to feel like an old worn out memory, discoloured by time and distorted each time it's remembered. Like these memories that we don't share with anyone else are more vulnerable - ephemeral to the point of disintegrating.”
Heady stuff. The video does effectively spotlight the understated and poignant nature of the song’s lyrics. Shauf’s gently haunting voice is complemented by smart production and subtle horns, to sweetly mesmerising effect.
The release of the video coincides with the announcement of a 2022 European/UK tour in support of The Neon Skyline. The dates begin on April 18, running to May 19. This tour is preceded by North American dates that include Feb. shows in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. Details and tix here.
Links
Publicity: Ken Beattie, Killbeat
