Following on from his 2021 and 2022 EP and Single releases, Tommy Ashby releases his first full-length album Lamplighter today, and with it, the lead track, Running. The album includes previous hit singles including When Love Goes Dark, Beautiful Day and Closer.
Tommy discusses the inspiration behind his new project, “this album is a sincere and touching meditation on relationships; familial and friendships, the romantic and the unspoken. Capturing snapshots of people, places and moments in time, the work beautifully illustrates the effect that a person can have on your life and reflects on how the important relationships in our lives shape us; It depicts all the people who were lamplighters in my life”.
A slight departure from much of his previous work, the lead single Running bursts out of the starting gates with a driving tempo that is a clear homage to the title and content of the track, a synergy that’s almost effective enough to make me take to the streets myself.
There’s a warmth to this song but through the instrumentation, it’s the warmth of the morning sunlight on a crisp day. If I were to find myself running (on an occasion that wasn’t to catch a bus or for last orders at the bar), this song would be, to me, the embodiment of quiet streets and misty mornings with the first light breaking over the horizon.
Built on a solid base of ethereal harmonics, Running blends the familiar with the unusual to create a song that is both accessible and interesting. There is a solid ‘train beat’ drum pattern holding everything subtly in check, while floating over it is a beautiful blend of Pizzicato strings, melodic controlled bass and, of course, Ashby’s vocals at the heart of it all.
What this song doesn’t have is a traditional guitar part or discernible chords in any prominent role, bringing a more technical and precise style to the fore that I would be very interested to see live as in my opinion, it could be a fascinating show.
Fans of more traditional Indie-Folk may pick up on a more ‘electronic’ feel to some of the instruments (for me the bass in particular) and while that could be considered less organic on one hand, on the other I would argue that it gives it a more contemporary feel and makes the instruments tight and cohesive.
Overall, it is a high-production song but one that doesn’t seem to have lost too much character through the process. Running feels clean, fresh, and honest. It’s a snapshot of a journey, with no set destination, no conclusion, and none the worse for it.
Tommy Ashby is arguably the evolution and modern face of the Indie-Folk genre, and taking up this mantle undoubtedly means having some big shoes to fill. Putting his mark firmly on what has come before and doing so with care, affection, and undeniable talent, Tommy Ashby is certainly rising to the challenge.
Tommy Ashby’s debut album Lamplighter is out now.