A Golden Debut
Posted February 15, 2018
By MarcusHathcock_NRT,
Andrew Serino is a Portland, Ore.-based singer/songwriter who has made quite the entrance with the release of his debut record, The Golden Thread. Unabashedly bringing back harmonic, post-punk alternative music, Serino masters the medium while telling deeply autobiographical stories about his hopes, dreams and struggles. You simply can't let this record exist in an ether; it's dying to be heard.
What it sounds like
Look, I'll tell you this right now: The music Andrew Serino is making isn't in the public consciousness anymore, but he's proving it should be. Leaning heavily from the emo-punk/alternative bands of the mid-'00s, Serino evokes the harmonic acumen of House of Heroes, the soaring lead vocals of Paramore, the pop aftertastes of Anberlin's Stephen Christian and the rock edge of The Almost. All of this comes together quite nicely, thanks to up and coming Northwest producer Justin Abel (who himself is featured on the project).
Spiritual highlights
Serino, a worship leader, has been part of a number of Christian bands--including fronting the exciting upstarts His Legacy--so that commitment to Christ leaks out in his music. As far as overt references to His faith, it's an Anberlin-style approach as he references a lot of themes about his growth as a person, his confidence and the relationships he's trusted with. It's a very practical Christianity that he works out in these songs as he clings to the hope he has.
Best song on the record
Extremely hard to pick one, but I'll have to go with "Wake Up" (Track 2), because it's got the best mix of all the incredible bands I reference below, with the driving pace of "Readyfuels." Just behind it is "Barriers," arguably the most personal and relatable track on the project, and the harder-rocking "Deal With It."
For Fans Of
Anberlin, Paramore, The Almost, House of Heroes, Blindside, Capital Lights
Final Word
Andrew Serino is further proof that the indie scene is an infinite frontier of incredible artists doing stuff that's as good, if not better, than we're hearing out of the label system. He comes out of the gate like a seasoned veteran, filling a musical void we forgot we missed (but do!).
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