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A few years ago, critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, Jill Andrews, went back home to sing at the memorial service of a childhood friend. In mourning, surrounded by relics of her past, the things and people she used to know, she was struck by how much life had changed. Perfectly preserved brick homes, sidewalks on both sides of the street, untouched jungle gyms and corner stores had her calling out for childhood, an age she realized all at once, had passed by. Fridays were a trip to Blockbuster and a couple of Fruit Roll Ups. Freedom was a bicycle and daylight. Andrews reminisces, “I had so much independence….and played so much kick the can with my friends.”

Standing at the intersection of memory lane and tomorrow, Modern Age is a stunning reflection on how far we’ve all come, but one that leaves the listener wondering about the price of “progress.” Produced by Lucas Morton at 4115 Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, Andrews latest effort features ten tracks that range from anthemic, Kate Bush-esque pop dreams with ethereal synths and lush vocals, to intimate acoustic confessions that hit closer to Madison Cunningham’s Where Are You Now. 

On opening slow burn, “80s Baby,” Andrews remarks with some wistfulness on just how different the world has come to be since the days of making mixtapes and cruising the cul-de-sacs. In the chorus is a bittersweet declaration: “I’m an 80’s baby/I’m an 80’s baby/I’ve been thinking lately/How much has changed.” Indie-pop masterpiece “Connection” follows, continuing to explore the schism between then and now, contrasting today’s tech savvy love with meeting someone the old-fashioned way in an irresistible, roll-the-windows-down throwback, ready and waiting for Tiktok covers and a perfect placement. “Better Life,” the song that inspired the record, has Andrews grieving the loss of a “golden-haired beauty queen” to addiction, wishing there had been another path, before turning on the back half of the record, to the path she has gone down, her relationships, failures, hopes, and fears. Leaning into the contemplative writing that launched her career, Andrews explores complexities of looking back and moving forward simultaneously, giving grace to a partner as he processes his past on “Dark Days” before asking for grace herself in “Patience.” “Boundless Love,” a track Andrews reveals “might be her favorite” closes out the album, assuring us that even though much in life looks different than it used to, love remains.

Modern Age remembers an era where the rhythm of life played slower, when we rewound cassette tapes with our fingertips, and talked on the phone for hours. With thoughtful and brilliant performances by multi-instrumentalist Tyler Chester (Madison Cunningham, Sara Bareilles), vocalists Becca Mancari and Anthony De Costa, and producer Lucas Morton, Modern Age is an ode to simpler times, an album that goes beyond nostalgia to veneration of what were to so many, the golden years.