Indie Pop Songwriter Andrew Spice Shares the Emotive Break-Up Song “High Park”
Originally a classically trained pianist, Andrew Spice is an indie pop songwriter based in Toronto. After releasing his acclaimed debut album, Pretty Demons (2003), on three-time JUNO nominee Emm Gryner’s label, Andrew took an unexpected step away from music to become a clinical psychologist.
When musical inspiration struck again, Andrew wrote his first single in 20 years. “High Park” was produced by industry veteran Matthew Barber, and features Adrian Gordon Cook (Noah Reid) and Mike Tompa (Silverstein). Like his very first songs, “High Park” is devastatingly vulnerable with a piano and queer male voice at its center, and firmly re establishes Andrew Spice as a unique artist and indie trailblazer.
Andrew shares,
“When I left my initial music career to become a clinical psychologist, I never imagined that I would return to music. Making “High Park” reminded me that I am still a songwriter and an artist. It is a song about recovering from trauma by reconnecting with nature, animals, my piano, and my voice. “High Park” is a song about profound loss, a celebration of newfound independence, and a love letter to both Toronto and my dog.”
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Andrew Spice, a Toronto-based singer/songwriter who plays piano and grew up in the wilds of Manitoba. In addition to making music, I’m also a psychologist.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
My latest single is called ‘High Park’. It’s a breakup song, but a happy one: It evokes the feeling of being glad that a relationship is over instead of pining over the person who’s gone. Sonically, ‘High Park’ has an indie-pop vibe. It is available on all streaming platforms and has a music video on YouTube.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
It tends to be one of two routes. The first is when the music and lyrics just spontaneously come into my mind, which feels like I’m communing with something otherworldly. The second is when I’m deliberately sitting at the piano and working something out. They’re equally rewarding but in different ways.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
‘High Park’ is just the first single from an entire album that I’ll gradually be releasing over the coming year. Fans can expect a new single every couple of months, along with accompanying music videos. There are more pop songs in the vein of ‘High Park’, piano ballads with strings, moments of searing rage, waltzes, dirges – hopefully something for almost everyone.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
After releasing my debut album in 2003, I took 20 years away from music to become a psychologist. Inspiration then struck me again, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to translate it into actual music because it had been so long since the last time I wrote something. I reached out to my good friend Emm Gryner, who produced my debut album, and explained the dilemma to her. She encouraged me to start by just writing a 1-minute song about my cat. I wrote that song, and that was my turning point: It ended up being a lot longer than 1 minute, one of my favourite songs that I’ve ever written (it will be one of the upcoming singles), and the opening of my creative floodgates that let me finish writing the rest of the album.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
I’m not sure if I’d call them upcoming, because they are already so accomplished: but J3M (@j3msings) and Tafari Anthony (@tafarianthony). They are both phenomenally talented artists who were very encouraging to me in the early stages of making this album. Artists supporting other artists is a wonderful thing.