TOM TIKKA

Tom Tikka will be the first to tell you that it's hard to getting an act to stick. He's gone through a variety of bands from his teenage years to his twenties, but after landing a solo contract at 21 and the subsequent release of his debut EP, he became disillusioned with music and has spent the few years working with a variety of collaborators, but with his newest solo release That's What Winston Churchill Said, he's returned to a wildly introspective well that has more than paid off. Across 6 fantastic tracks, Tikka puts us in his shoes as he encounters feelings of loss, hopelessness and depression, but with a distinct flair of playfulness and nihilism. 

His album opener "Turn Back Time" almost acts as his "Hey-Ya" by Outkast. Sonically with its harmonious use of wedding bells and belting lyrics of "Wish I could turn back the time!" you'd almost be mistaken to believe its your standard "I want you back track" when it's so boldly and upfront about the desire to get away from someone, something I feel isn't discussed enough in music. It never comes across as a blame game, and it's based on his real life divorce when he witnessed his own children not really experiencing the same weight and impact of the situation as he did. It sets an incredible stage for whats to come with uncompromising statements like "I wish I never made you mine!" Tikka did not come to mince words, and it's one of the EP's greatest strengths. 

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The EP is a fast paced highly consistent listen despite the fact that the end track "A Good Thing Going On" almost feels like a joke at first. When I say joke, I don't mean its production is sloppy or its performance out of step with the rest of the album, the track just doesn't feel in place with how deeply cynical the tracks that come before it are. It's a little hard to start with a song about "I want to leave you and I'm not in love with you anymore" and end with a nostalgia soaked look back at innocence. I think the album would maybe have benefited by cutting the track or maybe playing it a little more subversive by making it the opener, lulling the listener into a fall sense of security. Tikka is a wildly clever lyricist, especially taking into account that many of these songs were written over the course of Tikka's life going as far back as to when he was a teenager. 

Obviously he has an immaculate understanding of powerful words and even songs he wrote as a young man have the seasoned perspective of an older gentlemen. It makes a lot of sense why he would dust these off and revisit them. The production across the board is clean and layered with each song having a great sense of escalation. With the EP being a tight six tracks, it's easily re-listenable and you pick up on more nuances the more you do. I easily look forward to Tikka's next release. 

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Cleopatra Patel

Surat, GJ. (IND) 

1/2021