Following the release of his brand new indie hit 'Break Over Love', we caught up with Tom Seth Johnson to find out more about the music he loves and why. Check out his selection below and dive into the eclectic soundscapes that inspire Tom Seth Johnson's unique sound.
'Break Over Love' is out now - stream it below!
1. Elton John - Are you ready for love
I'm going through such an Elton John phase at the moment. Ever since seeing him live closing Glastonbury festival I was promptly reminded of the gravity and the influence this man has in the history of Rock n Roll music. Hit after hit, his songs have never really left the charts and it was so amazing to see his finest collection performed with such razmataz on the Pyramid stage. I could have chosen any one of his songs but I chose 'Are you ready for Love' just because it never gets old. Every section is so much fun and it just makes me smile and wanna dance. I could get up every morning and put this on while making a cup of tea and know it's a good start to the day.
2. Lenny Kravitz - Always On The Run
Damn, Lenny Kravitz is just the essence of cool right? I couldn't believe this song the first time I heard it. I genuinely had to stop what I was doing as I just became transfixed into this sense of shock about how hard this tune hits. That bass line with a guitar riff makes me wanna scream. Kravitz is like if Prince and Jimmy Hendrix had a baby and it's just pure Rock n Roll from the heart and you can see that from all the energy he puts into his performances. If you haven't heard this song, please, turn your speakers up now.
3. Sam Fender - Spit of you
Sam Fender is doing really great things for guitar music in the UK right now. He reminds everyone that we don't always want to hear all these manufactured songs that don't mean anything. I really respect him for turning the mirror not only on the streets they grew up in, but on himself too. I'm just glad it's in the mainstream and he's doing really well. This song reminds me of a budget ski trip I did with my brother and one of my best friends earlier this year. We stayed in the cheapest possible place on the mountain and this "apartment" was the tiniest room you've ever seen, meant to sleep 2 people, and there were 3 of us. But we had this song on repeat and it quickly became the soundtrack to an amazing week skiing.
4. Family Jools - Reachin'
So I lived with Family Jools in my first year at Music university in Bristol back in 2016. We spent all our time listening to music and talking about music for hours on end. Even though I didn't learn much in my first year at Uni. We all educated each other with all the best music to come out of the 60's and the 70's through marijuana and Youtube videos. I've admired the frontman and songwriter George Simm's style of songwriting by the fact he always stuck to his roots and wrote songs how he wanted to write them. He likes to rip up the rule book and write unconventional love letters to all his influences with his arrangements and song structures. Reachin' is my favourite song from Family Jools, I love the journey the melody takes you on. It keeps you guessing and it works every time. As an artist, I really resonate with the lyrics too, and because they are friends of mine, I just know where they are coming from.
5. Stevie Wonder - Knocks me off my feet
You know what's great? hearing a song from one of your favourite artists that you've completely forgotten about and wow, what a song. There are so many great songs on this album like 'Sir Duke' and 'I wish' that I just think this song might have accidentally gone into hibernation for me. In the world of streaming we don't tend to listen to full albums as much these days. But thankfully adding songs to your playlist can give you that special reminder to dive back into an album you haven't heard in years and rediscover the hidden gems.
Listen to 'Break Over Love' below: