If you didn’t know singer-songwriter Tom Barrett was originally from New Jersey, it would become evidently clear while listening to his latest single, ‘Two Places at Once’. That’s because it sounds tailormade for a Zach Braff soundtrack. It’s gentle, acoustic-forward arrangement has a lot in common with folk artist Alexi Murdoch, and it wraps itself tightly around your soul like a handmade blanket. Sure, he’s lived in Nashville for the last year or so, which may provide some insight to the song’s title – the force of the Garden State is strong. We caught up with Tom ahead of his new LP, Everywhere We Live, which is due out next Friday.
Everywhere We Live is notably your fourth solo LP, but you were obviously making music for many years before that. Where are you finding your musical inspiration these days?
These days it comes mostly from the folks I’ve been meeting in Nashville, people I’ve either seen play or whom I’ve played shows with. In the year or so since we moved here, I’ve been very fortunate to meet and cultivate relationships with a lot of different folks, and it’s been really invigorating to come to know a few of them on more personal levels and bare witness to their brilliance firsthand. They just make me want to keep getting better at what I do.
What do you feel sets this record apart from anything else you’ve done?
There are more full-bodied arrangements on this record than any of the other ones. It’s far more defined and far more dynamic. All of my previous records have been largely acoustic with minimal accompaniment for the most part; the dynamics are there but they’re far more subtle. I definitely tried to make this one brighter, almost poppier than all the others. There’s always been at least one instrumental track or maybe some segues on each one so it’s still very much in line, but I’d like to think it sets itself apart. It’s also the first solo record I’ve made outside New Jersey.
Talk to me about Nashville – is there anything you miss about your home state of NJ? What has been the most rewarding thing about your new city of residence?
I miss being close to an ocean, actually. Whenever I see Instagram posts of friends hanging out in Asbury Park, I get jealous and homesick. I miss all the goings on in Jersey City and seeing shows at White Eagle Hall. And I really miss my family. It’s really hard being so far away sometimes. But we love Nashville. We’re finding our footing and it’s a process, but we’re making new friends down here just about everyday and not feeling like such outsiders anymore. It also helps that a good deal of my new friends are fellow east coasters, and they get my super-dry sense of humor. That’s honestly a giant relief.
As an adolescent in the ’90s, you were smack dab in the middle of budding grunge and indie-rock scenes. Are there any bands or records from that era that you still revisit or even seek influence from today?
All of it, really. I have a tough time putting a lot of records away from that time. They just speak to me the most. Bakesale and Harmacy by Sebadoh are two that I revisit frequently. I listened to One Foot in the Grave by Beck the other day for the first time in years. That’s a record I really wanted to try and cover from front to back at one point. I think I could’ve done it but it wouldn’t have been very interesting. Those songs could be reimagined but they sound just how they’re supposed to on that record, in my opinion. The guitar playing is scrappy but complicated, and the pairing of Beck’s words with his early 90’s molasses-soaked singing style is perfect. The lyrics on that record are so visceral. I guess that was something I was going for a little more with the songs on this record, trying to paint a more vivid picture with the words and make the music brighter and more evocative.
You’ve said that nowadays, you’re “just grateful if anyone listens at all.” In today’s social media/playlisting culture, it does seem to be harder than ever to get people to listen to something new, let alone keep their attention. What motivates you to keep making music?
I have a couple of motivations. First, there’s just the ritual of doing it. I’m a highly ritualistic person and find some kind of comfort in all my routines. They keep me somewhat centered. Then there’s the feeling between the completion of a song and its release, when the realities of putting a song out into the world are technically not yet defined to a certain degree and you can still imagine all of its possibilities, no matter what your previous experiences may have been like. The world is always changing, people are always changing, so you can never fully predict how they’re going to respond to what you’re doing. It’s a nice short period of time to exist in with your music. I’m not sure how much this idea really applies to what I do but I like it. That helps me keep going, knowing that space will always be there.
Everywhere We Live is out Friday, 4th October via Mint 400 Records on all major streaming platforms. Pre-save it right here.
