John Andrews has spent the past few years tucked away in Red Hook, Brooklyn - a neighborhood that sits just beyond the natural drift of the city. Once shaped by maritime industry and later a haven for artists in search of vast warehouse space, its history and isolation give it a quiet magnetism. Streetsweeper, the fifth album by John Andrews & The Yawns, reflects that vantage point-tranquil, self-contained, and curious about the movements most people overlook. Just a few cobblestone blocks from the freight-ship-lined harbor, Andrews wrote dozens of new songs at his electric piano. Nine of them found their way to Los Angeles to be recorded with Luke Temple, who played guitar and some bass. Drummer Noah Bond and bassist Kevin Louis Lareau, both longtime members of The Yawns and Cut Worms, form the rhythm section. Will Henriksen of Florry played fiddle on “Something To Be Said,” while Emily Moales of Star Moles sang harmonies recorded remotely by Kevin Basko at Historic New Jersey. Smushie is the solo effort and childhood nickname of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Austin Koenigstein. A New Yorker by origin, Koenigstein moved to Chicago in 2019, where he has since distinguished himself with a volcanic live act and a torrent of self-produced material. Smushie’s music strikes at conventions of genre and tribe, at once casting an R&B pocket against wailing CBGB vocals, at any given show transforming folk numbers into pounding four-on-the-floor booty-busters, with the aid of searing guitar lines and a towering rhythm section. Rich in both humor and urgency, his songs leap into confrontation, touching on class divides, loss of innocence, bad-faith clowns, surreal landscapes, and the nuclear potential of a good time. His shows are, above all, fun. In 2023, Smushie released his debut album, Doofus Casanova, quickly following it up with two EPs and a collaborative LP. His sophomore solo full-length record is slated for release in early 2025.
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