Andrew Spice – Unafraid: With Pretty Demons (Remastered 2026), Andrew Spice revisits his acclaimed 2003 debut with renewed clarity and resonance. Rooted in piano-driven indie songwriting, the album captures the emotional turbulence of coming-of-age as a queer person in the late 1990s; a time when finding belonging often meant confronting hostility, isolation, and fear. Upon its original release, Pretty Demons received raves from publication after publication: “so sensitive it will break your heart” (The Varsity), “a genuine talent whose lyrics are carefully wrought poems” (NOW Magazine), “manages to put his finger on our collective hearts” (The Toronto Star). The album was also nominated for Outstanding Debut Recording at the OutMusic Awards. Now, more than two decades later, its themes of love, loss, identity, and survival remain strikingly relevant.
Following the success of Pretty Demons, Spice’s next step was unusual: He earned a Ph.D. and became a clinical psychologist. Then, while continuing to practice in psychology, he made a nearly-unprecedented return to the music industry after 22 years with the release of 2025’s With Animals. Produced by two-time JUNO Award nominee Matthew Barber, With Animals garnered worldwide press acclaim, international airplay, and tour dates at esteemed Canadian venues such as the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
The release of Pretty Demons (Remastered 2026) marks a thoughtful return to Spice’s roots after his sophomore album. Originally recorded under the guidance of producer and three-time JUNO Award-nominee Emm Gryner, Pretty Demons carries a deeply personal history between artist and collaborator. Spice first met Gryner at age 16 in 1998 while she was opening for Alanis Morissette in Winnipeg. After sending Gryner a cassette tape of demos, the two began a creative partnership that ultimately led to Spice signing with her label and moving to Toronto to begin recording Pretty Demons. “The transition from making tapes in my parents’ basement as a teenager to crafting a full album in the studio with Emm Gryner, who is one of my heroes, was a dream come true,” Spice recalls. “Remastering Pretty Demons in 2026 reaffirmed my pride in the record, feeling that it could resonate with listeners perhaps even more today than it did in 2003.”
Anchoring the album is its haunting lead single, “Unafraid,” a moody and emotionally charged track that reflects on the dangers and anxieties of growing up queer in rural Manitoba during the late 90s and early 2000s. While the song’s title gestures toward a desired state of freedom and safety, the tension within the music reveals how distant that feeling can sometimes seem. Even now, in 2026, across the world these dangers are still present and in some ways worse.
At the centre of both the album and “Unafraid” lies Spice’s unmistakable musical foundation: voice and piano. From that intimate core, Gryner layered subtle arrangements ranging from classically influenced strings to keyboards and programming. The 2026 remaster highlights these details with renewed depth, particularly the rich vocal harmonies Gryner crafted, drawing on her experience performing as a vocalist with David Bowie’s touring band.
The emotional core of Pretty Demons (Remastered 2026) remains its fearless vulnerability. Through songs that confront heartbreak suffered secretly (“Silent Rain”), substance abuse within queer communities (“Pride”), and the devastating murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998 (“Matthew”), the record offers an unflinching look at the pain and resilience of outsiders searching for belonging.
“The 2003 debut made me discover that I could share courageously honest music that didn’t fit a popular mould,” Spice reflects. “Remastering it over 20 years later has made me proud of my younger self for making an album with a soul that endures.”
On Pretty Demons (Remastered 2026), Andrew Spice reconnects with the album that began his journey, presenting it with renewed sonic clarity for a new generation of listeners. Its exploration of outsider identity, vulnerability, and resilience remains as powerful and urgent today as when it was first released.
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