Interview: Tom A. Smith

Photo By Katie Anderson

Sunderland alt-rocker Tom A. Smith steps into a new chapter with the release of Fashion, his first single under legendary label Fiction Records—home to The Cure, Kae Tempest and The Mysterines. Co-produced with Barry Hyde (The Futureheads) and mixed by Ali Chant, the track fuses indie-rock snarl with pop polish to create a visceral blend of jagged guitars and turbo-charged vocals delivered with raw, rebellious energy.

We caught up with Tom to find out more…

Congratulations on signing to Fiction Records! How does it feel to join a label with such a legendary roster, and how do you think it will influence your approach to music? 
Thank you, it feels great. I’m well aware of its heritage and love the thought of being part of a new generation that can take it further still. I don’t think it will change my approach at all and it certainly hasn’t for my first batch of work. It’s great to have people who believe in me and base their decisions on their eyes and ears.

Your single, Fashion, marks the start of this era. Can you tell us about the creative process behind the track and how it reflects your evolving sound?
I’m always writing and something just seemed really quick and fluid about this one. I’d heard Dave Stewart talking about how Sweet Dreams was essentially a blues song played on synths and I’d just got some new synth bass plugins and thought I’d try and write something using that sensibility. I’m buzzing with the results. 

You worked with Barry Hyde on co-production and Ali Chant on mixing. What was it like collaborating with them, and how did their input shape the final track?
I’ve wanted to record with Barry since he opened his studio and he was as much of a pleasure as he always is. We bounced ideas off each other and it felt like it went really well. I LOVE the drums on it so much. I chose Ali Chant to mix it because I researched how I wanted those drums, especially to be mixed and I really learned a lot in the couple of days in his studio mixing. Would love to work with him again.

Fashion has already become a staple of your live set. How does performing it live compare to the studio version, and what has the audience reaction been like so far?
It’s not a million miles away because I tried to capture the live energy and have been testing it for the last six months. My delivery has evolved over time but it was such a success from day one it hasn’t changed much.

Jim Chancellor (Managing Director of Fiction Records) mentioned your dedication to your craft. Looking back, what have been some pivotal moments in your journey that led to this signing?
Probably listening to feedback and writing every day.  Every time we play live we try to improve things gradually and fine-tune things so he could probably see the evolution in the three times he came to watch us. I guess because I can write so many different types of music, it can confuse people where I sit so I’ve just tried to make our live set more fluid over time. Having over 500 songs written probably helps a lot.  

With Fashion kicking off this new era, what can fans expect from your upcoming releases—and how do you see your sound evolving in the future?
I just do what feels right at any given time and I guess the next few tunes do have a sound, especially with the use of synths and guitars. I’m just looking forward to people hearing them, and then I’ll go from there. It feels really exciting.