Masterful songwriting is a skill sometimes bluffed in the world of melodic indie rock but Newcastle’s Andrew Cushin has authentic composition talent in spades and exhibits it proudly on his debut ‘You Don’t Belong’ EP, an assemblage of tunes so accomplished he even has the famously cynical ears of Noel Gallagher pricked up.
Feasting on a profusion of influences from Oasis to The Coral to The La’s, Cushin’s heroes are clearly audible in his music, building on what’s been written before and turning it into his own gold – which in this case ends up being four confidently solid, surging, mod-rock gems, infused with more depth and emotion than your average singer-songwriter.
‘You Don’t Belong’, ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ and ‘Catch Me If You Can’ are pristine quality, guitar wielding, radio-ready singles steeped in love, loss and romanticism but Cushin’s expertise shines ever brighter on the bare and profound piano-led ballad ‘Runaway’, recalling lump-in-your-throat innocence lost, drug abuse and redemption: “And though the world keeps spinning round/It’s just forgotten you right now/It’s got you down”. The kind of tune Paolo Nutini would sacrifice a vital organ for.
The ‘You Don’t Belong’ EP was released on Friday 22nd April 2022 through Strap Originals records with a physical vinyl release believed to be revealed shortly.
You can see the brand new emotive video for ‘Runaway’ below: