When you hear a singer for the first time, and you can’t stop thinking about how unique they are, then they have done their job – well at least the hard part of ensuring a positive lasting first impression is over. Without a doubt, the most striking thing about Andy Bull is his voice.
From the moment he hits that first note, you’ll realise he’s got the chords to embody a powerfully high falsetto range yet equally able to drench his voice in a gentle and bluesy vibrato – it’s pure, it’s crystalline, it’s simply irresistible.
The only thing more glorious than Andy Bull’s heavenly voice might just be his eyebrow/jawline combination. Gosh, just feast upon that aesthetic.
The Sydney based alternative pop singing-songwriting just released his long awaited second album Sea of Approval, featuring the spankingly groovilicious tune Talk Too Much. It has this quirky danceability about it despite being quite stripped back and restrained, but don’t let that stop you from showing off your best chairbound dance moves – let go of your seated inhibitions.
The opening choir harmonies trails the song, giving it a classy old school feel. We can expect a more sophisticated and experimental synth driven sound from Bull in this album. He has moved away from his acoustically dulcet and effortless lullaby- like arrangements in The Phantom Pains EP. The newly explored rougher quality in his voice also manages to bring out more personality.
With honest words from the man himself regarding Talk Too Much, Bull injects value into a song that exudes a facade of confidence – “In our age, it seems that chatter and conjecture has become, maybe accidentally, the primary way we qualify ourselves and our experience of living. We are often beating our chests and saying what we stand for, who we think we are, what we think of this or that, as if somebody asked. The implied fear is that silence must be akin to not-existing, but this is a dangerous lie. Language may help us to express that we are looking for meaning, but only clumsily, and only after the fact. I think this song is me saying to myself “stop this clumsy conversation and just live, whatever that turns out to mean.”
Also featured in the album is the single Keep On Running, released last year. It’s mechanical, down-tempo pop feel is equally represented in its music video (above) as the visuals match the rhythm to a tee, adding to the conviction of the song. This track is further elevated to a timeless retro status with it’s pizazz of slapping synths.
If you enjoy the vocals of Nate Ruess from Fun, the effortlessness of Cloud Control, the poppy tunes of San Cisco, the charming chillness of The Rubens, then it’s safe to say you will love Andy Bull.
But listen to him yourself and decide what it is about Andy Bull that grabs your attention. With so many Sea of Approval memes in the meme-o-sphere, you just know you’re in for a treat with nods all round*.
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*The fine sirs of Editorial would also like to tip their fedoras to Andy Bull.
