DrEw – An Empty Place (2021)
Through the soft rock tones of his debut EP, DrEw packs a lifetime of emotion and experience into four tracks. An Empty Place journeys through love, loss, music and learning while considering how all of these moments seem to be temporary and fleeting. This consideration is tempered by the knowledge that they are beautiful because they are brief and felt for only a moment in our lives.
This exploration of life’s fleeting moments comes from Andy Price, the musician behind the moniker. After 20 years in academia, he quit his job and turned to music which he had been dabbling in since the age of 12. Through struggles and illness, he created his debut EP that covers a lifetime of experiences and fills listeners with the endless beauty that comes from appreciating everything life has to offer.
The title track ‘An Empty Place’ opens the EP with a sweeping overview of the ethos of the tracks. The moving melody gets you bopping along without any effort as it warms you with gentle rays of sun. There are so many wonderfully positive vibes woven into this track that makes you happy and lifts stress off your shoulders. Through the music, DrEw fills you with an unconditional affection that chases away any negativity from your life. It is a wonderfully bright opening to the EP while acknowledging that negative emotions can be overcome by surrounding yourself with love. It is also really catchy and you may find yourself singing along.
‘My Turn’ has a folky feeling to the opening that shines through the movement of the acoustic guitar. The gentle strumming leads you into the vocals that have a storytelling vibe. There is a feeling of growth and forward momentum to the lyrics as he details the learning experience of growing up. The harmonising adds a depth to the track that increases the overall poignancy of the track. As you listen to the track, you are filled with the understanding that relationships are give and take which is something you learn as you grow with another person.
The almost stripped-back opening of ‘Rescue’ lets the rock vocals really shine. The slight growl to the vocals shows another side of DrEw that leads you into the smooth melodic flows of his voice. As the song progresses, the melody lightens with a burst of horns and the backing vocals put a smile on your lips. The lessons learnt in the last track are applied to this track as the lyrics build a strong relationship and can stand the test of time. While this is an important message, it is made easy to understand by the engaging arrangement of the vocals and melody. This is an incredibly engaging track that you can’t really get enough of.
The EP comes to an end with ‘The Bluebird’ which gets you bopping again to the movement. There is a slightly retro vibe to this track that brings the vibrant energy to life. As with the other tracks, you can’t help but smile to the melody. While the vocals have a really lively vibe, the lyrics are a little at odds with the brightness. There is a hit of melancholy to the lyrics that lets you know there is a serious message you need to listen out for. This is something that builds over the course of the single and has been masterfully woven into the track.
DrEw makes you smile, move and think about what he has to say through the moving and engaging tracks of An Empty Place. Each song has its own message about the beautify of fleeting moments while adding to the story of life in general. There is a poignancy to the track that is often belied by their lively and captivating energy.
Find out more about DrEw on his Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
