” Chris B, The Underground HK

Vancouver-born singer-songwriter Aaron Andrews brings a fresh sound to the Toronto music scene. A popular mainstay on Hong Kong’s thriving indie circuit for the past three years, Andrews now imports his unique blend of roots rock and reggae sensibilities to Toronto audiences with the release of a new album, Wave Electric City. Independently produced and recorded under the neon lights of one of the world’s biggest concrete jungles, Wave Electric City is a collection of Andrews’ best songwriting to date.

Wave Electric City builds on the raw and stripped-down aesthetic of Andrews’ first release Scratch Nasty, an album named after a drafty house in a small surf town on New Zealand’s east coast. It was there that Andrews found himself living with like-minded musicians, surfing by day and playing music late into the night. These house party jams would become the basis of Andrews’ songwriting style: acoustic, laid back and confident, with spiritual roots in blues, folk and reggae music. Released in 2013, Scratch Nasty is a collection of eleven songs from this formative time.

The late-night jams that eventually gave birth to Wave Electric City could not have been further from those chill New Zealand nights. While living in Hong Kong, Andrews won over the city’s music lovers, founding both the popular folk music collective The Homestead and the three-piece rock outfit dubbed Humble Mutts. After their dramatic debut at the typhoon-hit 2013 Secret Island Party Music Festival, the Mutts built a devoted fan base, playing at local venues and music festivals including The LKF Beer Fest 2014, The Wanch’s Handover Hallelujah Festival, and the Shazza Music Showcase. Not to be outdone, The Homestead played tirelessly around the city, headlining folk reviews and indie shows, collaborating with some of the cities most celebrated folk artists, and performing on RTHK’s Morning Brew. Both of these projects served as important catalysts to Andrews’ songwriting, shaping and defining what would become Wave Electric City.

To record the new album, Andrews teamed up with producer Andy Szombathy to create an intimate and unique sound that takes the listener to the emotional heart of the songs. Says Andrews, “We were trying to turn down all the distractions, throw out all the stuff that gets in the way and focus in on the music.” They enlisted Jimmy Pittman on upright bass, borrowed all the recording gear they could carry away from Yellow Frog Studios, and recorded the tracks in single takes. The result is raw and exciting, exposed and personal.

With Hong Kong behind him and with his feet firmly planted on Canadian soil, Andrews sets out to make waves and electrify in Toronto, the city he now calls home.