Tom A. Smith - “I Don’t Blame You”
Photos by Katie Anderson
Tom A. Smith, from Sunderland, UK, demonstrates his flare for bangers with “I Don’t Blame You.”
“I Don’t Blame You” is a dance punk anthem that wears all of its musical references in a delightful upfront, conspicuous manner. Talking Heads, Suicide, The Fall as well as a pinch of Can and LCD Soundsystem thrown in for good measure.
This impeccable arrangement is sophisticatedly hipster, built over a rubbery, fizzy synth bass and strutting drum beat that breezily glides in a solid groove for just under four minutes. Melodically wrapping around this pulse are lush, angular guitar licks. If you’re not sweating from dancing in your chair, on your feet or straight up through normal life you are definitely doing something wrong.
The vocals sit somewhere between a matter-of-fact sermon and sardonic sneering. Tastefully bored but also tastefully ecstatic in a way that you can tell Tom A. Smith has nothing to prove but everything to say. It’s a performance that is all about building tension, cracking with a sense of danger ready to tear the roof off at the gig.
Lyrically, “I Don’t Blame You” captures the feelings and experiences of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. On the track, Smith adds: “I wanted to make something that didn’t take itself too seriously. I self-produced and mixed the track and I wanted to keep the new electronic sound whilst also concentrating on the groove. We’ve been playing it live over the summer and it’s been a lot of people’s favourite.”
Strutting, fizzing and dangerously fun, “I Don’t Blame You” is taken from the EP Say What You Want which is out today via Fiction Records. “It’s a new era for me,” Smith explains. “I’m really proud of this and every inch of it’s me. It all feels really exciting.” Connect with Tom A. Smith: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify