With sophomore EP SAINT, Bobi Andonov transforms tumultuous relationships and homecomings into genre-defying alt-pop, with the Macedonian-Australian pulling from his heritage, film noir and falsetto greats to tell stories of heartbreak, hard conversations and latenight revelations. Having grown up on stage, Bobi is now commanding it. “It’s me just laying it all out – all the ideas that have been brewing for the last five years, since I moved to Los Angeles at 21,” he says. “Everything that was under the surface, but never came out. It was a nice moment to be vulnerable with myself and be alone, sing and write about who I am as a person while coming out of quite a difficult relationship.” Describing SAINT as a “skin-shedding moment”, Bobi wrote with clarity and quickness while returning to his family home mid-Melbourne winter last year. With few distractions and the space to reflect on his life in LA, the singer-songwriter expands upon the cinematic world of debut EP In Bad Company, revealing more of himself through an eclectic mix of influences like Jai Paul, D’Angelo, Prince, Michael Hutchence and sprinkles of Macedonian folk. The Bee Gees were another major influence on SAINT, with Bobi watching the 2020 HBO doco on the trio while at home. He was astonished by not just their falsettos, but their work ethic: “that old school way of sitting at a piano and letting it rip. Suddenly, the melodies came out instantly.” Upon returning to LA, he worked with long-time collaborators alt-pop producer Dylan Bauld (Halsey, Lights, Flor) and R&B legend Sam Watters (Lucky Daye, Whitney Houston, Color Me Badd), with the EP coming together in weeks, the electricity palpable across the tracks. Lead single ‘Anymore’ sets the tone, a synth ballad evoking the laid-back cool of ‘80s yacht rock, where Bobi embraces his impressive falsetto for the first time, soaring through the pain of realising you’re being used. “It was the song that I needed to write at the time,” he says. “It sucks to love someone whose reasons for your relationship are so much more casual and selfserving than your own needs. The chorus lyric, ‘I just can’t do this anymore’, was one of those things I always wanted to say but couldn’t.” If ‘Anymore’ is the breaking point, the rest of the EP relishes the ride with hooks that lean into how heartbreak and hurt can be a high of their own. Inspired by cinema greats like the Safdie Brothers, Scorcese and countless film noir flicks, SAINT is designed for late-night drives, rainy nights and locked-in-your-bedroom pining, a soundtrack to the moodier moments of your life. On the title track, Bobi effortlessly jumps between falsetto and a deeper, almost wounded register, built around a bass line. Bobi says ‘SAINT’ is about recognising patterns across relationships and accepting that he’s been drawn to the same types of toxicity before. Tearing away from that isn’t easy and in the chorus – “You know that your faith/Can’t make you a saint/ Even if you wash your sins away/Wait, you’re way too late” – he makes it seductive. ‘Borderline’ is something of a flip-side, Bobi explains: “It’s about thinking someone else is in trouble for getting in too deep with you. You’re trying to keep it casual, but they’re putting you on a pedestal, revering you the more you’re casually cruel.” Written with live performance in mind, Bobi goes full Hutchence here, with irresistible guitar lines and stadium-ready belts. But Bobi takes the time to reflect inward too. On ‘Between The Lines’, he turns what he calls a “toxic relationship with yourself” into a sleek alt-pop track about looking in the mirror after nights of bouncing between bars and bad decisions. Sharp, honest and seductive, SAINT marks a breakthrough for Bobi Andonov as an artist: six tracks that cement his knack for innovative alt-pop and centre an unforgettable voice.
