Canadian singer-songwriter Andrew Spice today unveils his second album ‘With Animals’, which emerges a lengthy 22 years after his ‘Pretty Demons’ debut made him one of the nation’s most hotly-tipped artists – a gap comparable to the time between Keith Richards’ ‘Main Offender’ and ‘Crosseyed Heart’ or Pixies’ ‘Trompe le Monde’ and ‘Indy Cindy’.
Andrew’s story is a fascinating example of how life often deviates from your expectations – but whatever path you take, triumphs and tragedies will become part of the tale. Making a second album all those years ago would have been the obvious route, but fate had other plans. Instead he became a clinical psychologist, a second career that he continues to excel in to this day.
He hadn’t written music in years until his friend Emm Gryner (a key David Bowie collaborator) encouraged him to write a one-minute song at a time when he was struggling with life. That became ‘Gentle Sentinel’, a tribute to his beloved and much-missed cat Bea, and also his personal favourite on this album. It unlocked something deep within him, and suddenly Andrew felt compelled to find catharsis by writing about everything which impacted upon his life.
The album’s previous singles have seen him address relatable experiences in song, from coming to term with grief via the simple pleasure of walking his dog (‘High Park’), swearing vengeance against those who have wronged him (‘Rage Stage’), and becoming downhearted by the prospect of ever finding true love (‘Terrible Date’).
Andrew says, “This record represents my return to music after 20+ years, bringing my career as an artist back to join my career as a psychologist, the singular power of music to move through life’s traumas, and a tribute to my beloved pets.”
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