For fans of: Fionn Regan, Adrienne Lenker, Fleet Foxes, Young Waters
Cornish-born but now based in Bristol, Thomas Calladine is a prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & producer with growing acclaim for a style that deftly balances lofi charm with intricate attention to detail. He released his new solo album Each time you go around the sun on Friday 4 March 2022 via Cuculi Records.
He records and produces careful, composite layers of guitars, drums, banjo, kora and cello to support his distinctive falsetto vocals, reminiscent of Robin Pecknold and early Bon Iver. Each time… represents a conscious move towards simplicity, away from Tom’s history of abstract tunings and ambient soundscapes as he wanted to make something more accessible for himself and his growing audience. With lyrics that offer a gentle invitation to a dreamy abstraction, the influence of Adrienne Lenker is clear in his ability to say so much with a few simple words and chords. It’s a testament to Tom’s inner imaginative landscape that some of his most nature-centred songs began to blossom in his Bristol bedroom, where he later completed them as tracks for the album.
There’s an appearance of refreshing effortlessness throughout this new side of his musicianship, which suits his lyrical threads of connection, acceptance and awe of the magnitude of nature. His watchful introversion is a writer’s gift, as he sketches out his experience of the world and the universe beyond it, grounding himself in the addictive detail of multifaceted alt-folk arrangements.
Cuculi Records 