Tom Astley discovers a mature and personal debut release from the local songwriter
For the first single from Tom Ieuan James, Decay is a remarkably mature song. Everything from the vocals to the instrumentation is delivered with a confident, assured hand. A deeply personal song, captured as essentially a live performance by a band of musicians playing together for the first time, it retains the warmth of a live performance, yet you could be forgiven for thinking the band had been playing together for years, such is the ease of the interplay and the manner in which they bounce off one another.
The guitar is distinctly John Martyn-esque, with a percussive quality, while a saxophone solo gives the track some room to breathe, after the relative density of the lyrics and vocals. This is a highly promising musician, and most certainly one to watch.