'Buddleia' is out now!!!
As someone who works mostly in collaborative spaces, Tom has spent years building an oversized collection of never-heard original songs. A small UK tour in 2022 provided the perfect platform to explore these songs alongside improvising musicians and lyricists. These explorations laid the groundwork for Tom’s debut album - ‘Buddleia’.
(Buddleia is a big shrub with vibrant purple flowers which seems to thrive in ‘ugly’ places; cracked concrete in city outskirts, damp railway bridges, and abandoned gardens. It’s tough, it’s beautiful, and it reminds us that some version of life will go on, even when billionaires and politicians have made the planet unliveable for most of us… it also attracts butterflies and bees, which is nice!)
The album explores mental health, nature, masculinity, vulnerability, growth, hope, acceptance, and joy - all filtered through the musical influence of Tom’s favourite artists (including Nina Simone, Snowpoet, Sullivan Fortner, and Cécile McLorin Salvant). He hopes at least some of these influences are apparent…