John Andrews & The Yawns
Bad Posture
Reviewed by: Lauren Rosier
The saying “it’s a small world” couldn’t ring any truer than with John Andrews and the Yawns. Andrews’ first record, Bit By The Fang, documented his time living in Amish country, or my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Andrews’ indie rock now returns with his latest record, Bad Posture (Woodsist Records), leaving Lancaster and moving on to explore the woods of Barrington, NH.
Bad Posture opens with the first track and single, “Drivers,” an electric guitar-driven song about “tired drivers driving home” with sprinkles of indie folk influences throughout.
The record was written and recorded in the barn that accompanies the farmhouse in which Andrews and the Yawns (Rachel Neveu and Goudreault of MMOSS/Soft Eyes and Joey Schneider) reside at in New Hampshire.
On “Old News,” Andrews sings about “leaving Pennsylvania with a flower in my hair.” The gentleness of Andrews’ voice accompanied by the earthiness of the band’s instruments creates an artistic, musical illustration that reminds me of something out of the ‘70s.
The second single off the album, “Painting A Picture,” explores getting to know someone as Andrews’ sings “if you want to know me/don’t be so blind/I’ve been here for three years…” and creating an image. He goes onto to note “you can paint with no paper/you can paint with no brush/it just takes peace of mind/it don’t take all that much.”
Music doesn’t have to be complicated and all over the place to be good and to be art. In fact, the artistic simplicity of Bad Posture is quite possibly my favorite characteristic of the record. The way it was written and recorded is an asset that adds to the charm of the album. One can imagine Andrews and the Yawns gathered in the band writing songs late at night and recording while the sounds of nature continue on in the background.
Throughout the entire record, Andrews and the Yawns do not try to be something they’re not. They do, however, use their strengths to create a record that is beautiful and artistic.
Rating: Bad-Ass
