Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Matt McAndrew (front row, right) with his bandmates in Slaves.

Matt filled in for former Slaves frontman Jonny Craig on a recent overseas tour.

The band officially introduced him as their new lead vocalist on social media this week, then dropped “Heavier,” the first song from an upcoming album on Friday.

Matt joined with Jimmy Alexander, and bandmates Zach Baker, Colin Vieira, Weston Richmond and Filipe Sanchez to pen the new song, and described it this way to antimusic.com.
“To me, ‘Heavier’ is about being trapped in a thought loop of worry, paranoia, and ultimately shame. I have a hard time letting my demons go and when they start affecting relationships, I really feel down on myself. It’s like a physical weight.”

And Matt admitted he never expected to join a band after spending so many years as a solo artist.

“It’s only now that I’ve realized how lonely I’ve been by myself. Working with such a tight knit group is a blast.”

Matt had recently released a new solo single, “If I Was the Devil.”

Craig left the band because of issues with addiction, apparently leading to quite a scramble for a new lead singer just as Slaves was about to board a flight for overseas tour dates.

You can follow Slaves through Facebook, Instagram and the band’s website.

Here’s the music video for “Heavier.”