Brooklyn’s Kaneb Andrews has always had a knack for weaving timeless storytelling into modern textures, and his newest single, “Recombination,” might be his most vulnerable work yet. Coming off the heels of his previous release “Midnight Medicine,” this track marks another step in a series of singles set to arrive throughout 2025, each one peeling back the layers of his lived experiences. Where “Midnight Medicine” captured a sense of soothing reflection, “Recombination” dives headfirst into the confusion and ache that lingers long after love has ended.
The song sits in that complicated in-between space: not just about heartbreak, but about the self-interrogation that comes with it. Andrews questions whether change is real or simply a reshuffling of the same flaws and patterns. In his own words, it’s about being tired of himself and doubting his capacity for growth, a sentiment anyone who’s faced the mirror during a difficult breakup can relate to. Instead of offering clean resolutions or tidy affirmations, “Recombination” leaves listeners with a haunting openness, inviting them to sit with the same uncertainty he wrestles with.
Recorded mostly in a single take with a live band, the track embraces imperfection as a form of authenticity. The vintage warmth of a Fender Rhodes piano, paired with Andrews’s mellow, hushed vocals, creates a soundscape that feels both raw and carefully constructed. Co-produced with engineer Matt Anthony at Second Take Sound in Manhattan, the production blends indie rock’s atmospheric edge with the honesty of Americana storytelling. It’s restrained but emotionally charged, the kind of song that lingers after the final chord.
Andrews’s journey to this moment has been shaped by a deep devotion to songwriting that stretches back to his youth. A classically trained violinist who found his true voice on guitar during a summer on Cape Cod, he’s spent years honing his craft—from studying composition at Princeton to earning a master’s degree in songwriting at NYU. His influences span from Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to The 1975 and Hozier, and his performances across New York City’s historic venues, including a sold-out headlining set at Heaven Can Wait, have only sharpened his reputation as a compelling live performer.
“Recombination” is the kind of track that doesn’t chase after easy answers. Instead, it sits in the fog of memory, longing, and resignation, asking questions many of us are too afraid to say out loud. In doing so, Kaneb Andrews captures something that feels profoundly human—that growth isn’t always linear, that heartbreak doesn’t always end cleanly, and that sometimes we have to accept the possibility that we’re just rearranging the same old pieces into something that only looks new. It’s a song that resonates long after the first listen, reminding us that vulnerability can be its own form of medicine.
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