After being greeted with the phonetic title of Tom The Mail Man’s latest project, I was really eager to listen and unsure what to expect. Tom usually hits the nail on the head in all facets of his talent, so a full project like this one really starts to solidify his conceptualization of thought.
The title track of the album sets the scene with a 17-by-XXXTENTACION approach. Ethereal, down-pitched vocals layed neatly atop a slow boom-bap drum pattern relax in the foreground as Tom just talks and manifests a better reality than the evil one we reside in.
The energy immediately pivots on songs like Another Bottle, 100 Stripes, and Headstrong. With the growing community of over-effected music, it’s refreshing to hear a new offering that seeks to spread messages and focuses on its own content rather than the DAW’s plug-in capabilities.
This project was articulately curated. It rides on the edge of classic, melodic lyricism, and smart, in-style production. No Convos, Tightrope featuring ramzie, and All About U provide guitar riffs that seem to draw inspiration from Internet Money prodigies while allowing Tom to execute his modern-yet-nostalgic cadence.
For me, the cherry on top is the Daniel Jordan K directed visual for Sunday which premiered on Overcast last week. This is probably the most laid-back track on the album and the video couldn’t represent the patient mood any better than it did. The storyboarding is purposefully assembled to keep you intrigued the whole time and it’s the perfect compliment to the laid-back melodies.
This project is extremely easy to listen to. I’m loving the current state of the underground scene where extreme innovation is happening, but in the crowded mailbox filled with people trying too hard to send a message about people they are not, Tom The Mail Man delivers the Complete Package. Liephas Evil is an honest and confident offering that you won’t regret saving to your playlist.
Listen to the full project and watch the immersive, retro-lux visuals for Sunday now!
Written by nic violets (@nicviolets)