Andii Styron Melts Our Speakers In ‘Thawing Out’

From Massachusetts to West Palm Beach, Florida, singer-songwriter and versatile new-age folk recording artist Andii Styron crashes the scene with her brilliant debut EP, 'Thawing Out.'

Andii Styron is known for transforming the folk community through her exhilarating lyricism, soft-rock, and blues influence. Her versatile stylings are reminiscent of acts like Brandi Carlile, Eva Cassidy, Fleetwood Mac, and John Mayer.

With a goal to help listeners feel understood amid life's challenges, Andii Styron is bringing that mission to life in her debut 5-track EP, 'Thawing Out.' The project is said to be written out of bitterness and anger, but the overall upbeat vibe helps us see Styron in a different, refreshing light.

The EP opens with the introductory track, "Heavy," which flows through our speakers with a warm acoustic guitar that leads us into the groovy alternative-folk instrumental. As Andii Styron makes her airy and vibrant vocal appearance, she flows through the song with incredible confidence while singing of life's "Heavy" burdens and yearning to let go of what she shouldn't be holding onto. It's a big, bold, and groovy tune, the perfect intro track for such a cathartic EP.

Reaching the second track, "In My Own Way," Andii Styron throws us into a brighter, feel-good folk-rock atmosphere through a cheerful and upbeat introduction. Her first verse offers whimsical and enthusiastic energy that's truly intoxicating, and Styron's relatable lyrics are another compelling aspect. While thanking God that heartbreak can't kill, it's clear she's dealing with love's trials and tribulations while finding new, optimistic ways to move forward.

Landing on the EP's third track and halfway mark, "You Thought," Andii Styron slows things down with ethereal electric guitar picking and her fluid, angelic vocals. While singing of pulling herself out of a deep, dark hole, Andii Styron continues serenading us with all the heart and soul she can find. The smooth and gentle instrumentals slowly expand on the outro, where Styron reminds us that sometimes, we don't need any other source of motivation but from ourselves in order to feel understood, heard, and seen.

Jumping into the groovy and heavy fourth track, "(Tell Me) How It Feels," we're met with a soulful and sensual electric guitar melody that leads us into Andii Styron's beautiful first verse. She brings so much soul and energy to this track, especially on the spirited hook where she unleashes her anger and distaste for someone while wishing they would feel what they made her experience. It's a powerful, punchy track that hits us with a unique instrumental soundscape to keep the energy flowing from top to bottom.

Making our way to the EP's fifth and final track, "Slip of The Tongue," we drift into a bright and beaming folk-rock instrumental while Andii Styron jumps into her charismatic first verse. We must mention that Styron's overall performance and vocal stylings bring vast similarities to the soul and power of Fiona Apple, but with this unique and spicy attitude that's packed with energy. In this outro track, she wastes no time throwing a few jabs at an ex while expressing how she's thrilled to not have the capacity to hurt people as they can. It's a spiteful, lively breakup anthem that closes the project with nothing but strength and empowerment.

In need of a pick-me-up? Get your dose of energy with a dash of spite in Andii Styron's debut 5-track EP, 'Thawing Out,' now available on all digital streaming platforms.

Welcome to BuzzMusic, Andii Styron. We're thrilled to feature such a personal and empowering EP as your debut, 'Thawing Out.' When did you begin writing songs and executing ideas for this project? How long did it take to finalize?

Firstly, thank you so much for your time! This is awesome. I'm super excited to be featured by you guys! Yes, you nailed it on the head with this EP being "personal and empowering." I feel like this whole EP's writing process was also a healing process as well as a growing/learning process for my raging emotions as a young woman. I first wrote "In My Own Way" and "Heavy" in the same week when I was 20 years old in my bedroom. I was going through a lot at once within my relationship and myself, so I took a step back and really tried to see what was stopping me the most on my journey in that time frame I was in. Within that, I learned that I am the only one in control of myself, and sometimes I'm the only one holding myself back. After writing those two songs, I felt so much better due to the constant internal turmoil I was putting myself through daily. From that point on, I had a feeling that I was onto something. I wasn't completely rid of the feelings I had, so I knew more songs needed to be created as time went on. Within the year 2021, I had written "(Tell Me) How it Feels" in my friend's apartment with a few other buddies, and they created this awesome riff on the guitar and just pressed record and told me to sing. Luckily that day, I was feeling very angry, so that song portrays that emotion, I think, pretty clearly! "Slip of the Tongue" had a similar writing process as the first songs. I was feeling spiteful and petty about some situations in my then-failed relationship, so it really was meant to stand out in fun yet taunting way. A few months now go by, and I look at what I have, and I figured I had already written a song about my wrongs, a song about self-pity, a song about my anger, and a song about feeling spiteful, so I figured the last song should be accepting all that I've gone through. That's where I wrote "You Thought," which is basically about brushing yourself off and moving on. That's essentially where I thought of the name "Thawing Out." In order to write these songs, I had to feel so many emotions and get through them to move on to the next. I felt less cold-hearted in a sense after writing them, and, all in all, I just felt better. I felt like I had changed and became more loving and aware. So, I had started "thawing out" in a sense. This whole process took about a year to complete all five songs. I had many different versions of them that I would pick apart until I felt they portrayed exactly how I felt.

What experiences or moments inspired you to create the 'Thawing Out' EP?

The experiences that inspired me to write these songs were strictly related to my relationships with my family, my girlfriend, and myself. It was all purely emotions. Nothing along the lines of physically going through something or having a life-altering moment. It was purely internal. I'm a very emotional person. I'm a Pisces as well, so I mean, anyone who knows astrology knows that we're sensitive and internalize our emotions and fixate on them! I had gone through an experience with infidelity with my partner, which left me feeling like I wasn't good enough. All the while, I was having a hard time maintaining a consistently positive relationship with my mom. I had felt very alone and unwanted and unloved at the end of the day. Music always was there for me.

Did you have any musical influences or projects in mind when creating the sound and vibe for 'Thawing Out?' Did any artists influence the EP?

So, when I write songs, I usually write the song lyrics out first with no melody in mind. I just writing. Once I feel the song has all the proper components of how I was feeling, I'll pick my guitar up and put music to it. I listen to so many different bands and artists, so I feel like it's a compilation of all the main ones I love the most. Sticking to a genre is tricky. Sometimes I have a country-rock feel, other times. It's indie or straight rock. The music itself wasn't really influenced by anyone. My team had helped mold the music pretty well, but the lead vocals and backing vocals were mostly influenced by the amazing Brandi Carlile, Sherly Crow, and Melissa Ethridge. I love the vocal techniques they use and how they can get rough within their sound yet remain bright and in control.

Which song from 'Thawing Out' did you have the most fun creating? What was so rewarding about that experience?

I think the song that I had the most fun creating was "(Tell Me) How it Feels." I love this song. It's, I think, the most "in your face" song off the EP, and I used a lot of different vocal variations in it as well. That song took the longest to record, mainly because I have so many harmonies in that song, and I had to layer them over and over. My friend Glenn Rockenstein, who recorded me, had a huge part in pushing me to my vocal limits on that song, but it was well worth it. I needed to portray a form of angry desperation for that song, so the high notes at the end definitely flooded me with feelings. The best way I can describe how rewarding that experience would be… picture it as if you're walking into the studio with a caged animal, and it's been caged for a long, long time. And you're finally able to let it out and run loose and see what it can do. It's something that's yours, and you can't wait to show it to the world for what it is.

What was your end goal with 'Thawing Out?' What did you want the project to represent, and what did you want the listener to experience?

My end goal with this EP was to give the listener the same experience I had always experienced while listening to music. I always just wanted to feel included and understood. I want nothing more than someone going through emotional turmoil to hear one of my songs and think, “Wow she felt like how I feel.”. I want it to represent that those transformations don’t always happen visually. They can happen over time inside and emotionally and it’s okay to take time with it. That’s why it’s entitled “Thawing Out” and not “Thawed Out” because I mean, I’m still thawing out as we speak. Things take time in life, music just makes it easier, and I just want someone to feel less alone at the end of the day.

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