The sophomore record from Paul Andrews is augmented, extravagant, and lavish. A vibrant piece of synth pop, ‘From the Distance’ is buoyant and sparkling throughout its run time. There’s funk, jazz, and groove all interspersed in a production style that remains distinctively modern amidst its more old school and engaging vocal performance and melody. Andrews draws from styles that are decades past, but rekindles them in his own fire, offering a spin that’s wholly unique and distinctively fresh while still retaining the core essence that made the golden years music so timeless.
On the opening track itself, ‘Into Existence’, Andrews immediately draws you in with an irresistibly joyful and grandiose arrangement that has you feeling like you’re within a Sinatra concert if the singer was born in this decade. There’s a level of scale to From the Distance that adds to its grandeur, an intricacy in the instrumentation and a stature to the arrangement. You don’t feel like you’re listening to any other synth pop album, it just oozes main character energy all over it. The opulence lends to its cinematic quality, making you determined and feel like the protagonist of your own story.
For Paul, the album’s title is a multi-pronged reference: an indirect way of referring to social distancing. Not only did he make the recording in a period of isolation, but its composition was also achieved through collaborating with a mixer, mastering engineer, and art director all from Europe while he remained in the United States.
Particular pieces that stood out the most for me were the ones that were unequivocally and unapologetically joyous in their style. ‘Borrowed Time’ for instance starts with an absolute blissful intro before Andrews kicks in ‘With moments of bliss are hard to find’. The chorus is equally sparkling, just a whole jolt of positivity and sing-along synth pop rock. ‘Coming Home’ definitely has the most noteworthy synth work on the record. The subtle beeps that meander along the intro instrumentation give it a strangely synergistic combination of the old and new.
‘From the Distance’ is just a joy to fall into from top to bottom. There’s never a low point with this record, constantly delivering piece after piece of exciting and energetic synth pop that has you humming along throughout.