2020-2021: AO GRYVE
AO GRYVE
Instead of continuing on withAugust Stone & Crowe, Jandreau began a new artist project: AO GRYVE. An anagram for "Voyager", Jandreau had become enamored with the story of the Voyager spacecrafts, "the only spacecraft ever to operate outside the heliosphere". AO GRYVE had six releases: Feel, Send Me A Feeling, On the Lake, I Can't Decide (Demo), Fox & Crow (ft. Feels Like Honey), and Black Thumb (Demo). AO GRYVE's music was described by The Otherside Reviews as "an eclectic melding of folk-pop, soul, and indie-pop...reminiscent of Citizen Cope, John Legend, and Hozier."
Feel
AO GRYVE's first release was Feel released May 1st, 2020.Feel represented a significant departure away from classical music and Jandreau's first serious foray into the world of mainstream music. According to genius.com, Feel "...tells a story of loneliness, anxiety, and acceptance...[w]ith kaleidoscopic textures and poetic lyrics." The song features heavily distorted and processed vocals, something Jandreau would later admit to using due to being self-conscious about his singing.
Send Me A Feeling
The second release was Send Me A Feeling, which was originally released November 6th, 2020 as a single and later included on Bad Nomad's 2021 album Voyager.
On the Lake
Immediately following this release was a re-release of On the Lake. Originally released on November 21st, 2019 on Jandreau's 30th birthday under the project name August Stone & Crowe, it was rereleased December 28th, 2020 under Jandreau's new project nameAO GRYVE. According to genius.com, On the Lake is "a song about looking back while moving forward; about appreciating what formed you without letting it define you as you continue to grow."
I Can't Decide (Demo)
I Can't Decide (Demo) was released as a single on February 4th, 2021. Despite the release date, the song was originally written in 2017 while Jandreau was working as a music counselor at a summer camp. Bored while waiting for his classes to arrive, he first came up with the chords and added lyrics later when thinking about early dating relationships. Jandreau by this point had set a firm release schedule, and feeling the pressure of this schedule, released the song as an acoustic demo instead of a full production.
Fox & Crow (ft. Feels Like Honey)
Six weeks later saw the release of Fox & Crow (ft. Feels Like Honey) on March 19th, 2021. "With lo-fi beats, flavors of jazz, and dense, luscious harmonies, “Fox & Crow” twists the popular children’s folk tale into a sobering reflection on life ill-spent, self-acceptance, and companionship." according to genius.com. For this song, Jandreau enlisted the help of Michigan-born singer-songwriter Feels Like Honey to sing the part of "The Crow", add backing harmonies, and play bass.
Black Thumb (Demo)
AO GRYVE's final release was Black Thumb (Demo), released May 14th, 2021.Black Thumb (Demo) explores feelings of inadequacy and failure despite intention. The song draws parallels between planting and gardening flowers and maintaining social relationships. The title itself – Black Thumb – refers to the phrase of the same name used to describe someone who is not good at taking care of plants.
Facing mounting pressure to maintain a strict release-schedule, Jandreau had been releasing both lyric and music videos along with each musical release. Despite the effort, Jandreau's music failed to garner attention. Seeing that he had reached the limits of his knowledge and skills, Jandreau turned outward for professional help.
