Introducing #264 - Tom Emlyn
Welsh singer-songwriter Tom Emyln recently released his new single ‘'It Doesn't Bother Me' ahead of his appearance at FOCUS Wales. We had a chat with him about the release.
Tom Emlyn has shared his new new single 'It Doesn't Bother Me' out this Friday the 28th of April. It's the follow-up to ‘Broken Mirror’ and ‘Like a Cigarette', it's the last of three singles leading up to the album ‘Return Journey Revisited: Scaredycat Vol 1’.
Engineered by Randell Denning, BBC studios Swansea in 2018 ‘It Doesn’t Bother Me’ rattles with introspection, as Emlyn sketches out nightmarish visions of characters who lose themselves in the pursuit of success. Amidst a scorched strum of fuzzy guitars, battered acoustics and skippy keys and synths. It’s a raw earworm that tries to throw off the shadow of doubt.
Emlyn says: “This song is from the mind of an unreliable narrator, trying to convince himself of his own aloofness as much as he is the listener. It paints a nightmare picture of self-doubt, anxiety, dead-end jobs, bad decisions, time running out. Schizophrenic images of audible lights in the engine yard. Losing your real self in the pursuit of money, recognition, anything. The masks we wear to convince ourselves and others of our resilience.”
Hey there Tom - how are you? So your new single is called 'It Doesn't Bother Me' and is out now - can you tell us what it is about?
'It Doesn't Bother Me' is a song from the perspective of an unreliable narrator. A nightmare trip into the lies we tell ourselves in the pursuit of success, with an ironic tone - stoically pretending everything is fine in the face of chaos and feverish distraction. It's a song I wrote and recorded originally a few years ago in about 2018, which I came back to last year and polished up with a new mix and vocal take. I played everything on the track except drums - the abstract synths were all improvised in one take. It's the final single from the new album Return Journey Revisited: Scaredycat Vol. 1, which is out now. The first two were more acoustic, and the album itself is 50/50 acoustic and electric - it's an archival album of lost cutting-room-floor gems with a sprawling, cinematic feel.
Where are you from and what are your favourite things to do there?
I'm originally from Swansea, although I'm now based in Cardiff. I spent many years playing music and writing songs in obscurity, not really holding down a proper job, just wandering around looking at things and trying to be receptive to inspiration, searching for ghosts amongst the beaches and desolate suburbs. I spend most of my time at small gigs, either playing or watching - immersed in the amazing grassroots scene of South Wales.
What are the key influences when it comes to your music?
My biggest influences are Bob Dylan and Elliott Smith, but I'm also into a lot of psychedelic and progressive music from the 60s and 70s, as well as some post-punky and garage rock stuff. I've always been drawn to unusual and experimental sounds - artists like Cardiacs, Richard Dawson, Scott Walker and Tom Waits. In terms of non-musical influences, I write a lot about Welsh identity, the Welsh landscape, left-wing politics. I try to write about the mundane, small things, because in the particular is contained the universal. I also try to approach everything with a DIY, lofi ethos, embracing honesty and imperfection. I don't really want to be labeled or put in a box, and I try to never repeat myself with my songwriting. Music should be free and expansive - why limit yourself?
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to your music before?
A chance encounter with the memory of a harmonica in the smoking area of a disused pub scheduled for demolition.
Finally, with your album out soon and three singles from it already under your belt, what's next on your agenda? Any tour dates or festival appearances to plug?
I have a lot of gigs coming up in the summer around South Wales, including In It Together festival in Margam Park, Brecon Jazz and Fringe Festival, and others. There's also a few intimate appearances in record shops in cludings Second 45 in Llanelli and the Parrot in Camarthen - these are part of my tour to promote the new record. Hope to see you at a gig soon!
