Still Believe in Love is not, as the title suggests, merely about love. It isn’t just about surviving the aftereffects of a love lost. It’s not even simply about the emotional scars that you often walk away from a relationship with. It is, of course, about all of those things, but it finds an unexpected optimism in exploring the idea that you can take everything a failed relationship can throw at you and still walk away believing love is worth pursuing. Perhaps the only worthy pursuit.
And so across twelve shimmering, cinematic pop songs, he tests the idea of love to the point of destruction and emerges on the other side still convinced that it is the ultimate goal, that even though we may emerge changed, it can be for the better and those lessons learned can make us a more rounded, more mature, better emotionally equipped person.
The title track is a wonderful blend of soft yet stadium-ready rock guitars and neo-classical infusions, spaciousness and bursting crescendo, the perfect backdrop for ANDI’s shimmering, almost operatic, upper register vocals, while ‘Do you even know’ is one of those effortlessly gorgeous songs that tackles ideas of image, jealousy, and whether that person ever really knew who you were all along.
‘Fine Without You’ places that moment when you accept it is over into a rock and roll landscape, but one that still chimes with grace as well as groove; ‘Everything will change’ is a piano ballad so delicate that it feels translucent, floating, ephemeral; ‘Blow me away’ is a cutting-edge, digital-pop dreamscape and perhaps the most poignant sentiment of an album of woven from poignant sentiments comes with the final song, ‘Take Care,’ reminding us that, even though things didn’t work out, you still want what’s best for that person You still love them, however, that love now takes a different form. Maybe love is like matter; it can’t be destroyed; it only ever changes form.
Twelve beautiful songs, leaning toward delicacy but still laced with energy, angst, artistry, and emotion as the moment requires—a fantastic album from an exceptional, neo-pop artist.
