ARTIST FEATURE: Tom LeFlore
Dreamy lo-fi singer-songwriter, Tom LeFlore (The Jacks), breaks out on stunning debut single, “If You Were To Leave Me”, out on all platforms now!
For an artist who has spent years in a full indie rock outfit, Tom LeFlore brings a softer, sticky sweet on his first release as a solo artist. “If You Were To Leave Me” showcases LeFlore at his utter best, using his elevated Southern California surfy rock style that makes it feel like you’re catnapping in a late sunny summer afternoon.
With his debut EP, My Life, My Love, & My Fantasy” due out on November 3rd, we wanted to learn more about Tom as a solo artist and how he created this more intimate collection of work.
GRRRL Music: You're making a huge pivot from being a part of the band, The Jacks, to venturing out on your own solo path -- was there an 'a-ha' moment for you when you realized you needed to make this change?
Tom LeFlore: It definitely was a big jump for me. I went from being very comfortable co-writing and producing The Jacks music to having everything fall on my shoulders… to having full responsibility and no one else to bounce ideas off of. After the band split up I struggled to find my footing as a solo artist for a while - I would make pretty elementary songs and none of it was good enough to be like “ahh this is my new direction.” But I kept working away… writing better songs, getting comfortable hearing my voice on the record, and refining my sonic palette. Only recently did I feel like it all clicked where I had a musical direction, inspiration, and something to say as a solo artist.
GM: Your new single, "If you were to leave me" has a sort of double meaning for you, while it's definitely a song about romance, this is also almost a love letter to yourself about going solo -- was it cathartic to intertwine two seemingly opposite feelings into one song?
TM: In the moment it was not cathartic haha. It was actually difficult to try and express both story lines simultaneously and do it in a way that fit the artist vision I had for the song. I was trying to be authentic and specific to the experiences I was going through, while keeping it universal and relatable for everyone else. Looking back however it definitely feels cathartic and like a necessary step I needed to take. It quite literally is about “what would I do if you were to leave me, if I had to figure it all out by myself?” so it feels very fitting that this is the first song to launch my new solo artist project.
GM: Recording and producing in a bedroom often feels solitary and intimate, what did this type of environment do for your creativity and did it overall shape your solo project?
TM: Absolutely… I knew the environment was going to shape the record to some degree, but it did so even more than I could have imagined. Lyrically, a lot of the music is about isolation, being alone (and being comfortable with that and uncomfortable with that at different times), and trying to find your place in the world. It’s pretty stripped down record production wise, I sang the vocals very quietly, and the guitars are played very delicately… in hindsight the bedroom really dictated the musical feel quite a bit. It feels very innocent, introspective, and exposed to me and I don’t think that would have happened if it was recorded anywhere else.
GM: After your experience with working as a band, are there any lessons or memories that you brought into your solo venture?
TM: I feel like everything I’ve ever done has been informed in some way by my experience in the band. But yes working on this solo venture certainly brought a lot of that out. There were SO many things we learned making SLOWDANCE (the last Jacks record) - from production, to songwriting, to mixing process etc. I learned so much from each member of the band and their individual stylistic preferences in melodies, arrangements, production, visuals, fashion etc. and feel like all of that is embedded deep in the way I think now. This record is exactly what I wanted 100% with zero compromise… it was nice not having to argue or convince other people that your artist ideas had merit, but sometimes that process is exactly what’s needed to make the best music.
GM: Led Zeppelin remains your favorite band, are there any specific tracks or memories with their music that still resonates with you deeply?
TM: Always. “Since I’ve Been Loving You” will probably always be my favorite song. The guitar playing, the dynamics, the soul. It has it all - and the live versions..! All expanded upon differently in unique ways. They were the blueprint for me my entire childhood on what a band should be like. My deepest memory of Led Zeppelin though is playing “Over The Hills and Far Away” on acoustic guitar for my dad. I practiced for months and when I finally played it for him he wasn’t even that impressed… he said something like “ya but listen how clean it sounds when Jimmy Page plays it.” I was probably 10 at the time… but it pissed me off just enough to go back to my room and practice for like 4-5 hours a day for the next several years.
GM: What can we expect from you for the rest of this year?
TM: This is the first release under my new solo project “Tom LeFlore.” I have so much new music and will be dropping a new song every month, with the full album “My Life, My Love & My Fantasy” coming out in mid November. I’m just getting started but very excited to share all of the music I’ve been working on in isolation for so long!
Tom LeFlore’s debut single, “If You Were To Leave Me” is out on all platforms now, and be on the lookout for his debut EP “My Life, My Love, & My Fantasy” out on November 3rd!
