A Chat with Tom Minor (12.03.26)
Infusing layers of Britpop, indie-rock, and power-pop, UK-based Tom Minor drags listeners back to yesteryear while retaining a contemporary edge. We speak with Tom Minor about his album, Ten New Toe-Tappers For Shoplifting & Self-Mutilation, advice for his younger self, future plans and more.
OSR: We spoke to you last year about your EP, The Manic Phase. What have you been up to since then?
Minor: Thanks for asking, not that much to be honest, other than preparing for my second album. And I’m glad about all the effort we put into it, now that it’s over.
OSR: You recently released your album, Ten New Toe-Tappers for Shoplifting & Self-Mutilation. What can you tell us about the album?
Minor: I guess it’s a natural progression from the previous one, my debut, both writing and production-wise. Although I’ve been releasing singles quite regularly between the two, I do think of albums as the “main product”, if you will.
OSR: Taking a look at the album, I see that some of the songs were included in your EP, The Manic Phase. I might be utterly incorrect, but do you think this look back mixed with new, original tracks is a complete exposition of yourself as a musician and individual?
Minor: To market a relatively new artist like me, there’s a certain point in dropping a few singles – or an EP perhaps – before a whole album, and then include previously released tracks on the album as well, or that’s what I’ve been told. If that’s what you choose to do, it may not be easy to create a healthy balance between old and new, and I’m not sure how well we pulled it off this time. But it felt like a good idea at least for now, given the assumption that most of the people who listen to the album hear all the songs for the first time anyway.
OSR: What do you hope people take from Ten New Toe-Tappers for Shoplifting & Self-Mutilation? Also, what does it mean to you?
Minor: I’ve been calling my stuff “existential indie”, partly for a laugh, to be honest. But there’s a certain truth to that: in order for a song to stay relevant for myself during the whole process of writing, recording, releasing and marketing it, the lyrical core of it has to be meaningful enough for me. Otherwise, I’d probably lose interest and move on too soon, and as a result, I probably wouldn’t be able to finish anything. The challenge with “important” issues is how to avoid sounding self-important or overly grandiose, though. But I do hope people feel enlightened and empowered by listening to my little snapshots of “darkness and misery”.
OSR: If you could change anything about the new album, what would it be and why?
Minor: It may be too soon to say, but at the moment I wouldn’t actually change much, if anything. I’m also quite happy with the cover art, which came about at the last minute but fits the title perfectly, I think.
OSR: This isn’t your first album, so if you look back to Eleven Easy Pieces on Anger & Disappointment, what do you feel you have learned and used in this new recording? I mean, are there the same challenges now as for the old album?
Minor: I didn’t have much pressure doing the first album, really. Not too much with the second one either, but I did feel more self-conscious this time round. The debut having been received quite favourably, I obviously didn’t want to underachieve now. I remember us feeling more self-aware during the recording and mixing process of this one, and we made a point of avoiding the most obvious flaws of some of the tracks on the first one, so I guess the biggest challenge was to top the previous one for ourselves. I think we did a pretty good job with it in the end.
OSR: If you could sit down and speak to a younger Tom Minor, what advice would you give him?
Minor: How about this: “There are no wrong turns, only detours (and maybe a few dead end streets, and then you just turn around), each one of them teaching you something more or less worthwhile, so don’t panic too much if you sometimes think you’re a bit lost, you’ll probably get where you want to be eventually, as soon as you know what and where that actually is. And that knowledge will come sooner or later, believe you me.”
OSR: If you were to introduce a new listener to your music, which song would you recommend and why that one?
Minor: I think ‘Change It!’ epitomises a lot of what I’ve been trying to say and do so far. I still enjoy listening to it myself, both musically and lyrically.
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future? Any tours planned?
Minor: We’re not doing any live shows for the time being, as it would be just a little too much at the moment, what with everyone involved having so much else going on here and there. But I’m recording all the time, and a third album is in the making. The next singles should be finished and out in the coming months.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Minor: To readers of The Other Side Reviews: the “other side” is more often than not the better side. Stay on it, stay out of trouble and stay free!
Many thanks to Tom Minor for speaking with us. Find out more about Tom Minor on his Facebook, X, Instagram, Soundcloud, BlueSky, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
