Album Review: Andrew Handrick - Distractions

Brimming with charm, Andrew Handrick's stripped back album has been my late Summer evening soundtrack. 'Distractions' is all about the lyrics, Andrew's vocals and the sentimentality in the songs.





I really love the charm and qualities of this album. It has probably taken Andrew Handrick a number of years to compose the ten tracks on his second album entitled 'Distractions'. However it took three nights to self-record them using just the one mic and adding the backing vocals. While the recorded standard is noticeably below par the quality of the songs shine through.

Andrew has this 'Elliott Smith' - esque softness to his vocals which are very pleasing on the ears. The vocals also bring to life the inter-personal lyrics and stories being told within the ten tracks of 'Distractions'. The title track and the album closer 'Bourban Smiles' are two of the standout tracks of the album. There's a lot of positivity on the album with songs like 'A New Moon Today' and the opening track 'A Little Piece of Happiness'.

The most important aspect of 'Distractions' is that the songs have this ability to immerse you into the song. When I listen to songs like 'Forever' and 'Just For Tonight' I'm completely immersed within the vocals, charm and sentimentality of the songs. Very few artists have the ability to do this but Andrew Handrick is one of them.

There are limits to the sounds created by pleasant vocals and acoustic guitar. While I wouldn't be in favour of a full band sound I feel the addition of strings on certain tracks would've added to the mood.


Andrew Handrick - Distractions [10 out of 12]

Listen to the album here:


Comments