Eora/Sydney artist total tommy has captivated me with her grungy new single “Losing Out.” Its lo-fi indie-rock sound has a nostalgic flavour reminiscent of acts like The Breeders and Veruca Salt. I love total tommy’s choice to keep the vocals hushed and brooding, expressing anger through the cutting lyrics rather than simply adding volume. It’s so compelling.
“Someone I respected completely broke my trust and left me paralysed for a little while,” she admitted. “I spent a lot of time going through the motions and feeling really thrashed about. I’d delayed writing about this time for a few months, but as soon as I started everything was super visceral and the lyrics formed in about fifteen minutes. The first day demo we had was really special because it was so raw. I didn’t want to touch it because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to replicate what we captured on that day. But then I got my friend to play live drums on the track and it lifted it to a whole other dimension. It’s my favourite song to play live, because I can rage about on the guitar and get out a lot of energy. I’m not angry anymore, but fuck that guy.”
This is just total tommy’s second single, but she’s quickly establishing herself as an artist to watch. Follow her socials, because I hear there’s plenty more new music on the way.
Photo credit: Andrea Veltom