JOHN ANDREWS & THE YAWNS - Streetsweeper

Woods, Hands Habit, Cut Worms, Quilt: John Andrews' resume speaks for itself, and his solo career instantly reveals the laid-back, lo-fi attitudes of a songwriter chasing the ghosts of both Fleetwood Mac and Father John Misty, picking up on Joni Mitchell as well as the Band.

Nostalgic yet grounded in the modern American scene, Andrews takes a decisive step to shed his cult-artist status, joined by Luke Temple (bass and guitar) and two old friends met during Cut Worms' live sets (drummer Noah Bond and bassist Keven Lareau).

“Streetsweeper” is Andrews' most complete and mature album yet. The arrangements, however velvety and soft, don't lean into the more downcast side of bedroom-pop — quite the opposite, the melodies carry a clearly defined identity of their own.

John Andrews' songs are springtime songs, mild but ready to warm up on contact with the body. The more country-leaning moments are nimble and lively, with a touch of doo-wop and jangle-pop (“Friends In Misery”), the rhythmic interplay between bass, guitar and drums recalls the breeziest side of the '70s (“The Last Word”), and the term soft-rock comes back into fashion without ever feeling dated or dull (“Something To Be Said”).

“Streetsweeper” is an album built on the strength of its consistency and songwriting quality (“What's Good”), but it also has room for flashes of refined orchestral-pop craftsmanship in the vein of Clientele (“Goodbye Dirty Snow”) and country languor (“Through & Through”, “Olivia”) that further mark the boundary between John Andrews' style — at times reminiscent of David Gates of Bread — and the FM-radio aesthetic of the late '70s. In the end, there's very little filler on “Streetsweeper”.

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09/05/2026