Andy Griffin – ‘Unsocial Media’

Andy Griffin is a singer / songwriter and ‘Unsocial Media’ is his third self-released album, with ‘Instagratification’ being the first single. Reflecting on the title, this album is about the negative effects of social media, particularly its effect on teenagers and young adults.

Although a melancholic subject, its influence has created a thoughtful piece of work which is full of talent and emotion. There is an almost 80s weight going on with the album, however, not the cheesy Stock Aitken Waterman songs, but those who were fighting against vacuous pop by creating real songs with real lyrics and real stories. There is a familiarity to it, this brings a warmth and comfort yet this is still a unique album.

With guitar leading tracks, there is a variety of tones, feel and beat with each track taking you on a journey. Andy certainly has talent across the board: the album is self-produced, he has a nice, solid voice which can articulate the message without wailing, however it is the words which I believe Andy excels at. All tracks have emotive lyrics as the story is told.

I enjoyed all the tracks on the album on the first listen, however the more I listen to it, the more it gets pleasantly under your skin as the appreciation of it grows like a friendly blanket around you. His voice is heartfelt and familiar, with the sad underlying theme of the songs, there is still love and hope. There is inspiration to make a change, make a difference. It moves you.

Starting with ‘Instagratification’ which, as you can guess, is all about getting likes and not having the motivation to do anything else, starts off with a solid indie pop track with a very instant sing a long chorus but the words get you . ‘Social Resistance’ is probably my favourite song of the album as it has great vocals and such a good haunting vibe to it, is about trying so save ourselves from all the social media traps, which leads to a more moody, slightly bluesy ‘Sanity Button’.

There is thought and reflection in all the songs and as a listener you feel it as well as hear it. Once you work out track 8 ‘Aidem Laicos’ you realise it’s clever.

Full Track List: