Tumultuous 2020 provides inspiration to Redlands artist John Andrews

Redlands rock artist John Andrews released his 4-track EP All Saints this past April on all music platforms.

“I got the inspiration for this album from the personal challenges of the pandemic, as well as seeing what society has had to go through over the past year,” shared Andrews.

Andrews’ first track “What Makes You So Sure?” sets the mood for the album with a catchy hook throughout the song. The theme of doubt is apparent, and the hook reinforces that feeling of harboring self-doubt.

“I wrote the hook on a piece of paper, then I sat on it for a little and thought of the lyrical themes to go with it. As I wrote it out, I developed the idea of how a doubtful frame of mind can be lonely,” said Andrews.

Andrews’ next song “Cracked” is focused on the challenges that come with mental health. In the opening line Andrews says, “All is good inside my mind,” but throughout the track, it’s clear there must be some soul searching to truly reach that feat.

“In “Cracked” I focus on the idea that for me everything is fine, but it isn’t. Sometimes you must lose your mind to gain it,” explained Andrews.

 His third track, “Along for the Ride,” has a bluesy theme that focuses on a tumultuous 2020.

“This song has more urgency and speaks on how people don’t think for themselves, they just line up on one side and that’s it, we don’t treat each other the same,” shared Andrews.

His title track and final song off the EP is “All Saints.” This song has an important meaning of working to be better and truly completes the theme of this EP.

“The song was written years ago, a priest once told me that even saints are sinners, they just keep trying to be better. This song has an important message that we just need to keep working to be better,” explained Andrews.

Andrews credits his inspiration for this project to what was happening in 2020 and feels this project is better than anything he’s done before because the inspiration wasn’t money or fame, but simply to express his feelings.  

“I haven’t made music since 2015, but after staying home and seeing what was going on in the world, I got that itch and inspiration again,” said Andrews.  

In his first project since 2015, Andrews captures a lot of what 2020 was and how a lot of society is dealing with the fallout.

“When I was sequencing the songs out, they followed a common trend, which is a response to what we all endured in 2020. My last two tracks focus on us rising above to be our best and not feed into hate,” shared Andrews.

All Saints captures the feeling of 2020 but doesn’t allow the listener to fall victim to a negative feeling, instead Andrews preaches the power of creating positive change. All Saints EP is available on all music platforms and the music video for the title track, All Saints can be found on Youtube.