TOM JENKINS has returned with his stirring new single “Be There For You”, as he confirms the release of his second solo album ‘It Comes In The Morning, It Hangs In The Evening Sky’. Pre-save the album here.
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Blending country-tinged melodies with jangling indie-rock guitars, “Be There For You” sees Tom Jenkins reflect on the real life isolation he experienced while pursuing sheep-shearing and shepherding on a ranch in New Zealand.
Punctured by the bitter sting of loneliness and longing, but refusing to compromise on a full-bodied, catchy chorus, the new track swings from affecting to infectious in a beat. As Tom explains:
“”Be There For You” is what I’d call a Britpop-country fusion, with all the potential for a good singalong. The song reflects on my time working in the isolated New Zealand back country and being very far from loved ones in a lonesome landscape, with a landline that would only receive calls as the sole point of contact.”
With detached and gentle guitar lines, organic lyrics and emotive vocal delivery, “Be There For You” brings to mind the desolate landscape of Tom’s old ranching lifestyle — far from friends and loved ones, but also physically isolated by his rugged and rural surroundings.
The new single also lands as the singer-songwriter confirms that his new album ‘It Comes In The Morning, It Hangs In The Evening Sky’ will arrive later this year.
Set for release on 25 November via Xtra Mile Recordings, the record will feature the new track alongside Tom’s earlier string of releases including feel-good indie-rock anthem “Under The Sun”, country-tinged track “Back Roads” and “Magic Mushroom Island”, a blistering rock track that features Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell.
Tom began writing, producing and recording his second solo album during lockdown and after sitting on the record for over a year — and having a brief foray into potato farming in the process — the artist signed to independent label Xtra Mile Recordings earlier this year. Working with lifelong friend and producer Todd Campbell, the pair began to lay foundations between an old barn on Tom’s farm and Todd’s local studio.
Gathering together old pals he’s met on the road over the years, ‘It Comes In The Morning, It Hangs In The Evening Sky’ features guest appearances from Phil Campbell (Motorhead), Marc Ford (The Black Crowes) and Paul Mullen (YOURCODENAMEIS:MILO, The Automatic).
With the album confirmed for release this November, fans can catch Tom Jenkins debuting tracks at Live at Leeds and SWN Festival this October and on tour across the UK with Skinny Lister throughout the Winter. Full dates and details are as follows:
TOM JENKINS - UK DATES
SEPTEMBER
27/09 - Thekla, Bristol +
OCTOBER
05- Tue Cavern, Exeter +
08 - The Flower Pot , Derby +
15 - Live At Leeds, Leeds
23 - SWN Festival, Cardiff
NOVEMBER
18 - The Globe, Cardiff*
23 - Old Fire Station, Bournemouth*
24 - Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes*
26 - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham*
DECEMBER
1 - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth*
2 - Forum, Tunbridge Wells*
3 - O2 Academy, Oxford*
7 - Caves, Edinburgh*
8 - Gorilla, Manchester*
9 - University, Newcastle*
10 - Thekla, Bristol*
14 - Y Theatre, Leicester
15 - KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton*
16 - Stylus, Leeds*
*supporting Skinny Lister
+ Supporting Cardinal Black
Tickets on sale now.
BIOGRAPHY
Tom Jenkins hails from the high country of the South Wales Valleys, with the ex-coal mining communities and rugged farming landscape forming his identity and ingraining itself in the singer-songwriter’s sound. Born into a hill farming family, a life in music seemed worlds away but somewhere along the line Jenkins’ path changed: at first playing in local rock bands before eventually fronting Straight Lines, releasing albums with his old school friends and touring with the likes of Motorhead, The Presidents of the USA and more.
After a few years on the road feeling uninspired by his own music, Jenkins eventually found himself in the New Zealand outback to pursue his passion for sheep-shearing, shepherding and ranching. Cut off from the world, sometimes for weeks at a time with nothing but a landline to receive calls, the isolation and beautiful landscape that surrounded him provided the right time and place for Jenkins to start writing his debut solo album.
Returning to Wales in 2017, Tom exchanged his new collection of songs with old friend and American producer Elijah Ford, who insisted they must make an album together. After a year of planning and with the money he’d made overseas, Tom and his band headed to Fort Worth, Texas to track what would become his debut album: “Misery In Comfort”.
Earning a reputation for emotional indie-folk and an authentic approach to production, he followed the release with the affecting “When The Coal Dust Settled” in 2020. After sitting on his second album for almost a year — briefly side-tracked by a foray into potato farming — Tom has announced ‘It Comes In The Morning, It Hangs In The Evening Sky’ will be released on 25 November 2022 via independent label Xtra Mile Recordings.
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