total tommy Spins Out in Reality-Warping Breakup Memento "REAL"
Photo: Andrea Veltom
total tommy is a project powered by self-actualization. It’s the catharsis of a young creative moving to a new city after coming out and going on an artistic bender. The result? Gripping, saturated sonics matched with evocative lyrics that immerse you in a whirlpool of retrospection. Her new single “REAL” chronicles a breakup that hits like a nightmare. It captures the surreal feeling of losing someone you pictured a life with and the hellscape of navigating reality without them. Best expressed in total tommy’s own words, “We said forever / What the fuck does that mean?”
“REAL” pulls you under with washed-out riffs, effervescent synths, and a cadence that trips over itself, stretching tension like a rubber band before finally snapping at the chorus. total tommy cases the outer shell of her pill with a digestible glo-fi pop coating that goes down easy, before realizing the dark shoegaze undertones that lurk beneath the surface. It’s a polarizing dance between dopamine-inducing sonics that tells a story of withdrawal.
Like smoke in a mirror, total tommy writes about the post-breakup haze that distorts her sense of self. Her previous work demonstrates heightened levels of independence and awareness as an artist, and yet, even total tommy is left feeling unsure of who she is after getting her heart broken. “REAL” keeps it sincere, admitting to feeling out of control in the face of a massive transition.
total tommy is a dynamic new artist who started releasing music at the top of this year. Her music thus far is a journal that sheds light on her identity as an LGBTQ+ artist, party girl, and romantic. “REAL” dives deeper into the vulnerable depths of total tommy’s past relationships and strikes gold at rock bottom.
Watch the "REAL" visualizer below:
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