Any indie artist that kicks off their career with a track as bold as Paranoia Song is one that we will always champion. The up-and-coming artist, Tom Fleur, opened his debut single with the lyric, “I’m on edge on the edge of the bed”, sung in a This Charming Man-esque vocal melody and sealed a place on our radar forever.
To freshen up the iconic new wave indie jangle pop sound, Fleur threw in the influence of 60s girl group melancholia and Ray Davies characters, but he’s every bit as self-aware as Morrissey was back in the day before he couldn’t figure out why his career tanked around his rampant racism.
After promising that his lyrics also explore the themes of hedonism, anxiety, and love, we can’t wait to revel in more of his intellectual introspection wrapped around his colourfully distinctive guitar lines. Finding a new artist that compels you to drink in every swoonsome syllable so as not to miss any of the disconcerted resonance doesn’t happen every day. I haven’t felt this lyrically seen since I first slipped into the solidarity of The Fear by Pulp.
Paranoia Song is now available to stream on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast