Album Review: Andy Shauf - Waiting For The Sun To Leave

After the initial wave of popularity for his first commercial release ‘Darker Days’, 23 year old singer songwriter, Andy Shauf, spent the last four years performing new material for people in and around his Canadian hometown. ‘Waiting For The Sun To Leave’ is the culmination of all his hard graft, the results of which, in my opinion, are something quite fantastic.

Having never been exposed to any of Shauf’s music before, it was a real treat to hear such a refreshing blend of soulful vocals and simple folk guitar playing throughout the EP. The opening track ‘I Don’t Really’ is the perfect example of how Shauf has somehow perfected this art and perfectly demonstrates how incredible music doesn’t necessarily have to come from a million dollar studio.

Tracks such as ‘Lean On’, ‘To Leave’ and later on in the album, ‘Swimming In A Cage’ and ‘Love of Summer’ consistently halt you in your tracks, causing you to just stand still and really take in the music and realise how enjoyable this album is. In support of ‘Waiting For The Sun To Leave’, Shauf has decided to record a video for the track ‘Open’, which can be found on his MySpace page. It’s a great track to accompany the release of the record, capturing every aspect of the singers’ talent; hopefully it’ll gain the recognition it deserves!

Shauf‘s refreshingly sincere approach to song writing certainly surpasses many artists of his age and even many within his genre; expressing himself in an incredibly candid, sophisticated and passionate manner, it’s hard to believe he hasn’t been writing for decades.

The EP ends with a track named ’With You’; just oozing with influences from artists such as Iron & Wine, Damien Rice, Bon Iver and the like, you just want the album to keep on going. It’s soothing and simplistic qualities resonate with every listen and you end up just wanting more.

Once in a blue moon you’ll come across a record and you’ll think to yourself, “this is special”; ‘Waiting For The Sun To Leave’ is certainly one of those albums and Andy Shauf has shown himself to be a truly captivating new artist.

5/5

'Waiting For The Sun To Leave' by Andy Shauf is available now on P Is For Panda.

Official Website
Andy Shauf on MySpace.

Sandeep Dawett