7/10

Throughout the last few years, the North East's latest indie-rock upstart Andrew Cushin has been pounding out some seriously exciting efforts. Regularly turning out a handful of singles and EPs since he first emerged, he has found esteemed praise and acclaim from many of those already established in the industry, leading him to become one of the more hotly-tipped names doing the rounds lately. And with the buzz still going strong, he has dropped his eagerly-awaited debut album 'Waiting For The Rain', a record that looks to cement his legacy to date.

Much like many in his field, like Sam Fender or Miles Kane, Cushin is keen to present himself as an emotive songwriter as well as a stadium-ready anthem writer, giving 'Waiting For The Rain' a wonderfully diverse feel from start to finish. Regularly flipping back and forth between bold and driven belters as well as more subdued offerings, his initial LP is a projection of his vibrant journey to date, showing as much of his glittering persona as possible in delivering a brilliantly varied and engaging release.

While there are some cuts that clearly hit harder than others on here, 'Waiting For The Rain' still makes for a wildly enjoyable listen and sees Andrew Cushin far more confident and assured throughout. He may still be working his way up the ladder right now, but this new collection certainly packs plenty of punch to get him on the next wrung.