Gonzalo Marroquin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images – Andrew Bayer attends the 2016 Princess Grace Awards Gala at Cipriani 25 Broadway on Oct. 24, 2016 in New York City.
If you ever needed a sign that your sonic experiments are on the right path, a Grammy nomination is a pretty good one.
Andrew Bayer received such a nod for his work on Above & Beyond’s album Common Ground. The Anjunabeats regular has always felt an affinity for grand, sweeping, emotional compositions, more in line with the likes of indie electronic bands like M83 or producers who don’t fear the edge of beautiful brilliance, such as his Above & Beyond buddies, but he’s never had the guts to really throw himself onto the winds of change, away from the currents of club music, until now. His forthcoming LP, In My Last Life, is a strong, sensual, ethereal step toward a great new beginning.
“There’s always been a bit of a disconnect between my club sound and the tracks that have been on albums,” Bayer says in an emailed statement. “It’s taken a long time for me to feel comfortable in releasing an album full of music that is just song based, but having grinded the gears with Lo Moon (or Stranger as we were known back in the day) and A&B, I now feel confident enough to make that move. There aren’t many acts in the trance world that write music with an indie approach; in the same way that A&B write tracks with Zoe (Johnston) and Justine (Suissa), all of the tracks on In My Last Life started with the lyric writing, and Ane and Ali have brought such a unique indie vide to the whole project.”
He introduced the project with lead singles “Immortal Love” and “In Your Eyes.” Now, he takes his biggest leap yet with the 10-minute epic “End of All Things,” featuring singer-songwriter Alison May.
“As we all know, there’s endless uncertainty around what happens when (people) pass away,” May is quoted in a press release. “’End of All Things’ is about that uncertainty. The question is raised from the point of view of someone who is burying an important individual (lover, brother, friend). At first, this experience may feel like the end of all things – burying that person, or dying yourself — but, it’s really just another stop for ‘always.’ Ultimately, this reaches the conclusion that there is life before and after the blip that is one’s time on earth, and takes solace in being part of a ‘great plan.’ I think there is comfort in knowing that our individual lives are part of a network, and we get to participate in something much bigger than ourselves.”
“End of All Things” is paired with a five-minute edit. Both are beautiful and calming with a strong spirit. Listen to both versions of the single below, and look out for Bayer on tour soon.
