Setting the tone with elegant, expanding guitars with an immersive frequency, Andrew Akins opens I-25 with the situational lyrics, “You remind me of a hard drink, tough to get down but great once it sets in, almost gave up on your years ago, when the moon was sneakin’ out, I was a stranger to your skin…”
The opus evolves into a charming, narrative-driven composition described by the Amarillo, Texas based artist as “a travelling tune with a nice steady pace that hearkens back to traditional Americana and country-folk sounds.”
When discussing I-25, Andrew confesses, “The song simultaneously explores the joy of a romantic moment – driving down I-25 with the girl you fell in love with – and the sense of dread that the narrator feels knowing there is likely an expiration date on this relationship.”
He adds with context, “It’s autobiographical fiction – I wrote this song with several experiences in mind that formed the foundation for the story. In many ways, I have felt that simultaneous joy and fear.”
We appreciate the poetic nuance with Andrew Akins‘ lyricism, as well as his vocal timbre and delivery style. We learn that I-25 is the lead single from his full-length album, Parables, which will be released in January 2023. I-25 also comes with a unique lyric video with background footage filmed at Challenger Point and Kit Carson Peak in Colorado where the artist climbed with his friends. We love his hands-on creative approach and the intimacy that this creates with listeners of the song!
Andrew Akins has been performing for over ten years. He cut his first recorded work at 18, a demo album called The Quiet Wild which was met with local acclaim, including over 2000 streams and 500 downloads despite only being available on Bandcamp. He has since put out two EPs and one LP to date, with sounds ranging from dusty-folk to indie-acoustic to even progressive-folk.
We have added I-25 to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream Andrew Akins‘ wider discography including Someday and More Than a Fool.