Andy Shauf has shared the new single “Spanish on the Beach,” and — big news for Shauficionados — it seemingly makes a reference to Judy, a recurring character from his excellent 2020 concept album The Neon Skyline.
The stories of The Neon Skyline unfolded over one night, and while that record benefitted from such a limited scope, it meant that some of Shauf’s more expansive ideas landed on the cutting room floor. That was true of the B-sides he shared last summer, “Judy,” and “Jeremy’s Wedding,” and while it doesn’t sound like “Spanish on the Beach” was ever intended for Skyline, it does look at the Judyverse from a few thousand miles away.
“Spanish on the Beach” takes place at an all-inclusive resort, as the narrator’s partner tries out a bit of Spanish. “I tried to make up my mind/ Whether I could understand a word you said,” he sings — ominous words for a couple in crisis, though they’re delivered with the relaxed lilt of a vacationing mind. The narrator wonders what would have happened if he had proposed, and with the same sweet naïveté — spoiled by the audience’s knowledge of how this is all going to end — he sings the refrain, “I wished it/ Could be permanent.”
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“It’s the same theme as the story ended up being at the Skyline but the narrator’s life is a little bit booze-fueled,” Shauf said in a statement. “And this vacation is kind of like the first stop on the way to destruction.” Check out “Spanish on the Beach” below.
The song arrives a week before Shauf’s previously announced world tour. He’ll start with the North American leg, criss-crossing the country through April of next year, at which time he’ll decamp for Europe. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or StubHub.
