Scotland’s Tommy Ashby just released his new album “Lamplighter” in March of 2023. This 10 song LP is filled with wonderful well written tunes like “Floorboards” and “Lifeline”. But this is not an album review, this is a song review and I fell in love with the first track off this album, “Running”. This song is so well constructed and for me, it felt like it had influences from Bon Iver and Ben Howard. Such a great tone, mood and journey Tommy has created with this song.
The song starts out with a fast-paced picking guitar. Tommy sings over the top with a smooth head voice type vocal. The verses have a wonderful flowing feel as it is just the guitar and Tommy. The drums and bass come in with a great shuffle groove as the lyrics move to “Over solid ground, solid ground”. The song really opens up with a swell of sound as the chorus comes in. “I’ll run to your shelter, I’ll run in you race”. His use of “I’ll run” is a great hook and instantly gets stuck in your head.
As Tommy takes you through an audio journey, he moves from verse to chorus likes waves against a beach. As the song flows into the bridge, the song almost has an indie rap feel to it as he says “Always drawn to you, burning lungs, but my body’s born for you…”. What a cool way to break up a song. Love it.
The song ends with a nice fade out over the lyrics “When I’m running down fate”.
This is a phenomenal album and deserves a listen from end to end. Start with “Running” and work your way through this musical journey.
About the artist
Tommy Ashby is a Scottish musician and prolific writer with a distinct ability for capturing the innate beauty of everyday moments in his own euphony of ethereal sonics and hushed vocals.
Tommy has evolved his sound in a homemade studio experimenting with multiple instruments and recording techniques. His fascination with sound saw him complete a PHD in Spatial Audio studying the mind’s response to sound, and develop a unique partnership with Grammy-winning producer Sam Okell. Tommy’s musical graduation of listening to a diverse range of influences including Gillian Welch, Neil Young, James Blake and Jeff Buckley has led him to develop an appetite for a melodic and expansive sound that begins in the wilds of Scotland and comes to life on the clifftop coasts of Sam’s Cornwall studio.
Listen if you like: Ben Howard, Bon Iver, Tom Speight, Novo Amor, Hollow Coves, Gregory Alan Isakov.
Check out this playlist featuring Tommy Ashby and more tunes like “Running”