We are all humans but some of us feel it more than others. I’ve known Tom Lee-Richards for some years now and his life and search for humanity is something I have present in my mind every time I talk with him. I’m not gonna hide that our friendship started through his music and that, as it happens with many other artists, I’ve said no or skipped writing about many of his tracks. But his latest track, “Human” is a gorgeous track that mixes folk with pop and a bit of je ne sais quoi that makes it stand out like a proper indie song.
The track was recorded in Brazil, in Minas Gerais, where he lived for a while (after living in Portugal and before returning to New Zealand) and the full production has a Brazilian touch from Leonardo Marques. The classical aspect of the track is evident from point zero, and it incorporates local Brazilian artists on almost every instrument, resulting in a beautiful mix of cultures that is evidently felt in the song’s spirit.
“it features a team of accomplished Brazilian artists in their own right and is part of an upcoming E.P – the result of a year living with my new Brazilian family (thanks to Carol) as the pandemic was about to hit Brazil”.
The track is accompanied by a music video that illustrates the tracks’ theme of total immersion and self-sabotage metaphor by an act of descending into the blue with stumbling and striving 1930s Deep Sea Diver.
There are gorgeous vocal layers in the track, and the chorus has an evident strength and capacity to make the lyrics speak louder through a sort of melancholic vibe that does not always feel like a sad vibe. There is a sense of hope inherent to being human that fight to resist and to search for more continuously. “Human” is part of the upcoming E.P. “Spinning for Shape” and a beautiful first chapter that leaves us hanging for whats’ to come, mainly because of the sense of originality and depth in it. From a musician and a feeler to the world. We notice the evident dive of humanity in this.
More about Tom Lee-Richards:
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