Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘The Lost, The Vain,’ Andrew St. James

ABOVE: ANDREW ST. JAMES. PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER ELLENBY.

Only 18 years old, singer and songwriter Andrew St. James expresses a level of keen introspection in his debut album Doldrums rarely seen in someone so young. Hailing from misty San Francisco, St. James delivers no shortage of West Coast vibes in his folksy, sinuous sound. While the songs are upbeat enough to groove to—think late-night driving music—his lyrics are laced with a searing understanding of the world around him. St. James is no ordinary teenage wunderkind with a guitar: he possesses remarkable lyricism and self-awareness. Here, we’re pleased to premiere “The Lost, The Vain,” off his forthcoming album.

“The Lost, The Vain,” filled with thrumming acoustic guitar, a gentle drumbeat, and the singer’s fluid and mature vocals, is tempered with a darker side: “Class is deceiving when it comes to understanding people. It won’t matter what your bank statement said when you’re six feet under,” he says of the song. With lyrics like “When your summer home in the Hamptons means nothing but some space / When whispers of some freedom overwhelm your brain / And the wealth that you live from, is all you have to blame,” St. James establishes himself as a young voice brimming with insight well beyond his years.

DOLDRUMS WILL BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 24. FOR MORE ON ANDREW ST. JAMES, VISIT HIS FACEBOOK PAGE.