Andrew Espinola – Who Said I was Running

• 28th Jun 2008

A Rex very kindly included a scrutty A4 piece of paper with their third album – who said I was running? – a bio of the band and a statement of their intent. Andrew Espinola, the 22 year-old responsible for this music tells us that “Pop music doesn’t have be the insincere saccharine you hear on the radio.” Worthy sentiments indeed, until you realise he’s talking in reference to his own sub-standard, trite, splenda-coated void of a record.

This is Shania Twain in drag. Boring rhythm, high-school diary inspired lyrics – “I can make it on empty, I done it before, I was born a soldier, I’m ready for war” – very little vocal variation and zero personality; I can’t help thinking there’s a Maroon 5 collaboration in the pipeline.

Andrew also states that he wrote 100 or more songs over the course of 2 years. Ever heard the phrase less is more Andrew? There really isn’t anything good to say about this record.

This, their third attempt at an album resulted in the Texan songwriter playing all the instruments on the record in an effort to try something different as “A matter of pride arose”. Arose? From where, his stomach? We call that bile over here. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet and in this case it really does: go smell the various bouquets from Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams and Wilco to see how this vein of music should really sound and leave this withering weed of a record on the compost heap.