Tom Emlyn – “Passing Craze”

Today, I’m excited to share with you this one. Tom Emlyn is a Cardiff-based singer-songwriter from Swansea who has been quietly building one of the more interesting catalogs in Welsh music. Passing Craze, his sixth solo album in four years, is genuinely worth a listen.

The album started as a university project for Evan Collett, who produced it. The two of them also play together in the psychedelic garage rock band Rainyday Rainbow. Recording started at the university with a serious analog desk, built up from a skeletal acoustic guitar doubled in an Elliott Smith style, then layered with drums, piano, electric guitar, and harmonica. Things got interesting when Tom rediscovered his grandfather’s old Roland analog synth from the 70s. It ended up on nearly every track. Evan played banjo with a violin bow and ran the guitar through a pedal that mimics VHS tape degradation. You can hear that lo-fi, almost-burning quality on Your Dishes and Burning the Candle. Trumpet, melodica, and backing vocals from Alys Hardy round it all out, giving the album real texture without sounding overstuffed.

Follow Tom this year to stay updated on new releases and upcoming shows in the rest of the year.

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