Singled Out: Kaneb Andrews' Recombination

Brooklyn-based indie Americana songwriter and artist Kaneb Andrews just released his new single "Recombination," and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the song. Here is the story:

I spent about three years in a pretty serious relationship. And when it ended, I promised myself and my ex-girlfriend that I would work on myself, that I would go to therapy, that I would try to grow and change so that maybe we could try it again one day. So I did everything I could - I read self-help books, I got a therapist, I worked out, I tried to be better to my family and friends, on and on. It was good to do those things, and I'm glad I did them. But growth and change are very non-linear, and to me it's not really clear if change is something that you can choose to do, or if it's just something that happens to you while you're busy doing other things. So along the way, I had plenty of moments of frustration and loneliness, when I wondered if any of the work I had done was paying off at all, or if I'd always be the same person, and all my work was in vain. My ex and I both eventually moved on, and we never tried it again. But if we had, would it really have been any different than the first time? Would all of my readings and exercises have made a difference? Or were they just window dressing on a personality and a relationship that would fundamentally always be the same? That's basically what this song is about.

The first verse is, unfortunately, a very classic depiction of a weekend night for me, alone in my apartment, eating frozen food, watching TV, and waiting for something or someone who never appears. I remember showing the first demo of the song to one of my best friends, right after I had written it, and she started crying on the spot after hearing it because it just zeroed her. It was pretty funny.

I think the important thing about the song is that I'm asking questions, but I'm not answering them. I don't know if change is possible, or if it's not, but the insecurity, uncertainty, frustration, and self-doubt that made me wonder about the possibility of change in the first place - those feelings are the core of the song.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

News > Kaneb Andrews