Tom Low
Getintothis’ Matthew Wood dips into the inspired mind of Liverpool’s Tom Low and is astounded by a quintet of intricate, vastly sourced tracks that touch upon the experimentally strange and the down right catchy, shot through with a relentless passion for music.
One word that sprouts into mind when listening to Tom Low‘s fantastic new EP, Phone, is visionary. So rare is it to find an act that owes so much to some of music’s supreme greats, and yet is simultaneously so forward thinking.
As a whole, it’s difficult to pin down; debut single Phone is wonderfully weird, riding to the beat of a dial tone and sounding as though he may have been sharing a Tokyo hotel room and microphone with New Zealand’s kaleido-popic anomaly Connan Mockasin.
Origami trips down a similarly freaky vein with a cacophony of menacing chimes while exotic chords wash ashore creating a more melodic environment for Low‘s vocals that nod to former Elephant Six act Beulah and their whimsical, sweet expression.
As noted in his bio, Low aimed to emulate each subject with the sound and composition of the track. Hunger, however, was always going to be a tricky one to mimic without recording the grumble of a paunch, but Low has successfully whet our appetite for his transgressive pop and Hungry continues to entice. Punchy and infectious on the surface, yet deeply complex and convoluted, Low opts for a number of accompanying keys that create a number of retro and futuristic textures for an ever-changing feel.
Train is a personal favourite, energetic and roaring with the energy of, well… a train. It dazzles us with keys that dart and tiptoe past like pleasant scenery and ending on a victorious note, a short snippet for a brief victory dance that you miraculously arrived at your destination without delay.
Low takes us back to that sunny shore and sets sail with the EP finale Sailor, soaked with flanger and phaser, it’s Low‘s most guitar dominant endeavour. Nodding to the sun-drenched psych of Kevin Parker while bidding us farewell, it’s a fitting end to an extremely exciting EP born out of an instilled love for absolutely anything musical.
Low’s desire to create and expand the musical universe is apparent, and what’s more he has the talent stacked neatly alongside in his vast, expanding locker.
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