“The track is about going out too much and falling down a rabbit hole, Groundhog Day style. This misguided behaviour could be a product of how disposable relationships feel in this day and age, especially with the unfortunate nature of dating apps, but it's ultimately about finding salvation in one person.” Says Tommy Down about his new single.

Produced by Ross O’ Reilly, the hand behind ‘Judgement Day’ by Stealth, ‘Don’t Think I’m Leaving Without You’ channels its laidback funk and soul stylings from artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Al Green, as well as more contemporary artists like Steve Lacy. Blending Motown groove with hip hop inspired beats that wouldn’t sound out of place on an A Tribe Called Quest track, the song chronicles the aftermath of a breakup. Getting lost on nights out and meeting strangers momentarily fills the void inside: “I’ve been searching for another meaning / Even if it’s only for the day” goes its memorable refrain. Tommy’s vocal delivery is like the character portrayed in the song: jaded but libidinous, and riding a groove that could last all weekend. If soul music is a slick and artful expression of human vulnerability, then Tommy has it down pat.

An incisive lyricist and a highly skilled multi-instrumentalist, Tommy Down has been writing music and recording since he was fourteen. He went on to tour and performed jazz standards across Europe from the age of 20 in a Bristol based Jazz Orchestra. During his time at Bristol he netted a few accolades, including ’Best Original Composition’ at the UK Open Mic Competition. After leaving Bristol Tommy moved back to London, where he began and finished a soul album with jazz and blues-rock influences, which he has been performing across the city with his band Pink Yesterday. While flying from London to New York he has also forged some eminent collaborations this year in order to complete this body of work. Both as a bandleader and as a solo artist Tommy unequivocally shines, but it’s in the latter category especially that we’re seeing him give voice to his unique art.

Originally released in October 2009, I Got the Pox, the Pox is What I Got is the debut EP from cult musician and misanthrope Benjamin Shaw. Billed as "six and a half songs of nausea, noise and hilarious anecdote" and accompanied by a pair of grisly music videos, Shaw's polarising sound was introduced to independent music audiences around the world through BBC airplay, reviews kind and cruel and a slew of live shows which saw the introverted Shaw slip between transcendent and petrified.

Though greater acclaim (and polarisation) would come with the introduction of deeper dissonance, nihilism, electronics and sparsity on releases like Megadead, Rumfucker, There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet, this debut was the perfect calling card for a singer-songwriter who wanted nothing to do with his own genre. His contempt for the form he's working within can be heard throughout fan favourites like ‘When I Fell Over in the City’ and the ten minute title track.

This remastered release comes packed with an additional five recordings, including a lo-fi cover of Nosferatu D2's holiday classic ‘It's Christmas Time (For God's Sake)’ and two stripped down live recordings, which are wonderful for comparison with Shaw's 2019 Live donaufestival album in terms of witnessing how he has eschewed the inherited self-limitation of his genre.

https://bnjmnshw.bandcamp.com/album/i-got-the-pox-the-pox-is-what-i-got-remastered-and-expanded