The multi-instrumentalist sheds light on how he came to create his most ambitious and experimental work yet.
Andy Shauf is widely revered for his ability to transform everyday events and introspections into enchanting tales that resonate deeply. But his latest concept album, Norm, sees the singer-songwriter venture into darker, uncharted territory.
Weaving an eerie tale that unfolds over deceptively sweet melodies – Norm invites contemplations of obsession, loss, and divine intervention. Ahead of his Australian tour presented by ALWAYS LIVE, the acclaimed storyteller reflects on the evolution of his craft, the freedom of ambiguity, and his complicated relationship with jazz.
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Best known for the semi-autobiographical narratives on records like The Party (2016) and The Neon Skyline (2020), Andy’s older alternative indie works are rooted in relatable experiences and charming characters. His eighth album, Norm, takes an ambitious turn, creating a fictional world where each track reveals a new chapter in the darkening plot.
“I’ve always attempted to write fiction,” Andy says, addressing the misconception that earlier albums were autobiographical. “Those are still fictional stories, whether they’re inspired by a friend or a situation. But with Norm, I really wanted to step into something that I didn’t know.”
The isolation of the pandemic played a significant role in shaping the album’s narrative. The 37-year-old found himself living alone in his Toronto apartment, with ample time to experiment in his studio.
Setting out to create a “normal” album without a particular concept, he named it Norm. “I really wasn’t seeing anyone,” Andy recalls. “I didn’t have something that I was living that I could write about.”
In writing the track Telephone – a seemingly simple song about longing for connection – he stumbled upon the record’s ominous narrative thread. “The first verse sounds very sweet, and there’s all this longing to be talking to this person on the phone.
“But the second verse flips it, and you realise the narrator is watching through the window. I liked the idea of having that kind of hidden creepiness in it, but it also just brought the character of Norm out.”
While solitude and true crime docos both helped shape the clandestine world of Norm, the album’s shift in tone was largely driven by Andy’s curiosity. “I can do a bunch of writing of things that I know, or I can step into the unknown and try to explore themes that I don’t understand and questions I don’t have the answers to,” he says.
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Faith and fatalism
The album masterfully weaves a narrative through three distinct perspectives – our infatuated stalker Norm, a tow-truck driver, and an omniscient voice Andy dubs a “cartoon version” of God.
These voices guide listeners through a twisted tale that contemplates the cruel and comedic nature of humanity while grappling with unrequited love, manipulation, and the idea of a divine meddler.
Echoes of faith can be heard across the extent of Andy’s discography. Born into an evangelical Christian family, his music career began as a drummer in the Christian pop-punk band Captain. Despite leaving the church in his early twenties, elements of religion continue to intrigue the singer-songwriter.
During lockdown, Andy found himself leafing through the Bible and wondering how the stories might sound if told from God’s perspective. This became the seed for Norm’s opening track, Wasted on You, which imagines a conversation between God and Jesus, as the creator questions whether the mortals below are worthy of his love.
The album poses a series of philosophical questions about morality and control – exploring the repercussions of a God that plays favourites. “I’m just fascinated by the idea that someone’s watching us, and intervening every once in a while when they want to do us a solid,” Andy says.
This notion drew a striking likeness to Norm’s own voyeuristic, manipulative tendencies, prompting him to explore these parallels further. “There’s this unseen person who loves you and is observing you and has some sort of control over you. I just wanted to play with this extreme version of unrequited love. It’s a total unknown.”
Unlike some of the crooning and harmlessly wistful tracks heard on Andy’s previous records, Norm is far from a romanticization of love. Instead, it offers something more truthful and raw in its depiction of how humans so often get it wrong.
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Expansions of sound
Despite Norm’s ominous undercurrents, the soundscape builds slowly – with lush orchestral arrangements, discordant notes, and fluttering clarinets all providing a lush backdrop for the narrative’s creeping tension.
“There was a point where I thought, this record is going to be extremely dark, and I’m writing it to be extremely digestible,” Andy says. The delicate contrast between unsettling lyrics and bright instrumentation – anchored by his signature dulcet tone – keeps the listener teetering between comfort and angst.
The concept album also inspired new branches of sonic experimentation for the indie-rock artist. Though historically averse to jazz-inflected sounds, Andy was drawn to the genre’s harmonic structures in building a sense of unease.
“A lot of the musicians in my bands are jazz musicians, and I’m not a big listener,” he confesses. “It kind of frustrates me a lot cause it’s so noodly, and I’m not into that.” Nevertheless, the multi-instrumentalist explored subtleties of the genre, captivated by elements that could hold listeners in suspense.
“I was playing around with melodies that move around the resolve, but it just leaves you hanging,” he recalls. “I think that does a lot for how the harmonies affect you, and how emotionally you feel when a melody kind of teases you – like it’s going to hit the right note and it doesn’t.”
Andy also delved into elements of vaporwave and electro-pop, working with Grammy-winning mixer Neal Pogue (Tyler, the Creator, OutKast) to further sculpt the album’s synthy ethereal atmosphere.
“Neal would focus on things that I had forgotten were important to the track,” Andy says. “He brought this technical know-how that could more purely bring out the sound of the record.”
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In the eye of the beholder
Inspiration behind the album’s spacious feeling came about unexpectedly. One evening, while watching David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, Andy became captivated by a seemingly endless shot of a key resting on a table. The camera lingered for what felt like an eternity, its almost imperceptible zoom-out only transfixing him further still.
“I thought, ‘This is a crazy shot. This must’ve been really wild for audiences in the theatre’,” Andy recalls. “Then after about five minutes the browser just closed, and I realised I was having my mind blown by the movie being frozen, and thinking that was an intentional thing.”
Struggling with how he was going to conclude the record at the time, the serendipitous experience prompted him to consider the power of incomprehension.
“Having myself stupidly interpret this frozen browser as a really integral part of the movie made me realise that I didn’t have to really spell out what happens on this record. People are going to follow it until they can then interpret what they want. It was just a kind of freeing moment for me.”
The lyrics underwent a series of meticulous revisions, resulting in a story that leaves just enough space for listeners to uncover the plot themselves – or alternatively– derive meaning from the obscurity.
Andy’s decision to quit drinking has profoundly reshaped his creative process. Reflecting on his past habits, he speaks candidly about how entwined alcohol had become with his songwriting.
“Writers have this idea that if you have a couple of drinks your brain loosens up, and things can really start to flow,” he says. “What I wasn’t realising, was that my drinking was becoming my writing process. “I was just expecting to continue being inspired by this thing that was actually kind of killing me.”
What he once considered a “secret weapon” was quietly stifling his ability to evolve. Since quitting during the pandemic, Andy says the change has brought a renewed focus.
“When I sobered up, my brain got sharper again. I realised that I really need to be intentional about what I’m putting into my body and how I’m challenging myself.”
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After nearly two decades in the industry, he reflected on the practices he’s found most valuable in nurturing both personal growth and his music career. “If I could give advice to my younger self, it would just be to keep learning,” Andy says.
“I’ve always had to do a lot of learning in order to create the way that I do– being on my own and playing all the instruments. I literally had to learn new instruments when I wanted a new sound, and I think that was so helpful to me.”
Moreover, he highlighted the cruciality of a writer’s general commitment to broadening their knowledge and experience. “I’ve gone through a lot of changes in the past five years that were very necessary for me to continue to expand on my perspective and my understanding of how my brain works and how other people’s brains work. If you don’t make an effort to change personally and get smarter, your perspective is not going to expand.”
As you might expect, the talented storyteller is an avid reader. Particularly fond of authors like Raymond Carver and Dennis Johnson, Andy reveals he has recently been attempting some short stories of his own.
“They’ve been pretty bad,” he chuckles. I think it’s gonna take a lot of time to sharpen that skill, but it’s something I’m interested in. I just always find myself coming back to working on music.”
Those eager for new listening material are in luck, as Andy confirmed the imminent release of a new album with indie-rock outfit Foxwarren – a collaborative project shared with childhood friends Darryl Kissick, Avery Kissick and Dallas Bryson. Coming via ANTI– Records, the record will be the band’s first release since their self-titled 2016 debut.
Since gracing Australian shores for the first time in 2022, the singer is keen to return for a series of intimate solo gigs across the country next month.
For tickets to see Andy Shauf on his upcoming tour presented by ALWAYS LIVE, head here.
