We’ve all been there. You’ve just started a new job, and you’re awkwardly chatting with the other humans, the ones known as “colleagues”. You speak about your previous post, the weather, football, and what you hope to achieve. You smile, but none of the words leaving your mouth ring true. Deep inside your earthly shell is the real you, the one that wants to ask everyone what they’d do if their fingernails were extra long and uncuttable. All you need is an opportunity. If one of your co-workers was to reveal a gap in the curtain of their projected character and reveal an odd characteristic, you could unleash your authentic self, but the opportunity never comes. You smile again and talk about flight prices instead.
Think this is a strange intro to an article about music? Well, you’re probably right, but that’s precisely what we’re dealing with here. Tom John Hall’s new single, At The Office, is no ordinary tune. A lyrical masterclass that concerns itself with the constraints that are put upon us in working environments, this is one of the best songs I’ve had the pleasure of writing about since I started at Independent Music News six months ago. Tom manages to point out the absurdity of the human condition while creating a musical piece of art. Well constructed and produced, it shines like a refined diamond in a world of monotonous repetition. The ability to make the mundane become interesting is admirable, and that’s exactly what he’s done with At The Office. Alongside all of this, it’s also quite simply a great track, and one that I would love to hear live.
If his last few singles are anything to go by, Tom’s upcoming album, My Big Album [Part 1], is going to be special. Outsider pop at it’s finest; his songs remind me of the independent musician Tom Rosenthal. Their sounds are very different, but the ethos is the same; good music doesn’t have to fit into a box.
Check out At The Office on Spotify.