From the opening notes of Loose Future, we know we’re meeting a new Courtney Marie Andrews. On 2020’s Grammy nominated Old Flowers, her “breakup album,” Andrews shared from an inside perspective a deeply contemplative resignation that sometimes things just don’t work out. Now we find Andrews healed by renewal and focused on allowing in a self-love that acts as a gateway to welcoming in the love of others, and Loose Future is the summer-y vessel of those stories.
Following the period of personal tumult that made up Old Flowers, Andrews found herself in a beach shack on Cape Cod committing herself to long meditative walks and writing a song a day. Once she had enough ready for an album, she invited producer and Fat Possum label mate Sam Evian to the beach to help tie everything together. Loose Future opens with the title track which sets the forward-looking tone for the record in no uncertain terms. “The future is loose,” Andrews says. “I’m not in denial of the darkness, but I’m trying to allow self-love and acceptance to grow in my life. I’m not covering up the dark either, because we have to fight it constantly. We can welcome goodness and love into our lives to shine on these pockets of darkness.”
Love is the predominant energy and Andrews has found she doesn’t have to completely let go of the past in order to make way for the future as she describes in “Older Now.” “I wrote it right after I’d gone on my first date after being single for a long time,” Andrews reveals. “I’m older now and wanted to become a better version of myself. I’m also realizing there are parts of myself that will never change. There are inherent personality traits that feel unchangeable and are imprinted in my DNA. I’m accepting I’m not this textbook version of a person. ‘Older Now’ s a huge representation of the change. I’m ready to not live out familiar patterns of being heartbroken for the sake of being heartbroken.”
First single “Satellite,” Andrew’s first-ever full-blown love song, positively shimmers. “I’ve written a lot of love songs, but there’s always a tinge of heartbreak,” she explains. “I wanted to write a love song with no caveats, which I’ve never allowed myself to do. A satellite is so mysterious to the average person. It’s the idea somebody is floating around your mind. You’re not quite sure why, but you like it.”
There is quite a lot to like within these 10 songs, the record like a nourishing balm. “When you listen to me, I hope you feel good,” she leaves off. “I spent so much of my career relating to the brokenhearted. There will always be that side of me. With this record, I hope you feel love on multiple levels. It doesn’t have to be romantic; it could just be self-love or hope. I’ve come into the full spectrum of my own creativity and selfhood. I want to keep continuing exploring that forever against the backdrop of summer.”
Courtney Marie Andrews’ endless summer is being felt by listeners of WXPN, WDST, WMOT, WNRN, and more.
Photo by Alexa Viscius
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