Honest introspection that softly, quietly connects – an LA songwriter with a seamless fluidity between his piano playing and sung melodies, his stories of love, vulnerability, perspective. Tom Peyton modestly unites aspects of jazz, pop and neo-classical, throughout the mellow intimacy and charm of Thank You For My Name.
Already Said Goodbye is the opener, and is one of the most refreshingly humble and genuine album openers of the season. Just the piano and Tom’s voice, a story and dance taking us through a thoughtful reflection on a deeply personal experience, and it sounds optimistic, joyful but a little uncertain, comforting in its fireside realness and welcome.
As we then reach Let’s Move In Together, Tom Peyton brings a bedroom pop aura of keys, bass and rhythms, to light up a more pop-like arrangement of verse and catchy chorus. His voice remains genuine and distinct amidst this new setting, and the song helps elevate the album in a way that keeps you engaged and likely to stay for the duration.
This is something that crops up frequently throughout this project, with darker unexpected interludes like Vases on Books essentially stopping things in their tracks to recapture any wandering minds, before alternative melodies and spacious, experimental and minimal songs like A Little Depressing proceed to introduce something boldly expressive and poignantly poetic. This track is a personal favourite for its lyrical depth and the structural theatrics that feel cinematic and striking.
It would be easy to simply use these opening songs as great reasons to listen to Thank You For My Name, but this is actually one of the most interesting, unpredictable and rewarding albums of the year, in my view. Tom Peyton’s storytelling is phenomenal, and far from limited to the lyrical process. Every song feels like a short film and a diary entry all at once, unexpected but captivating, and always that voice of artistic identity resounds, even with such diversity between tracks.
The title-track Thank You For My Name, written with fearless transparency and gentle passion after the passing of his mother, is simply stunning. Heart-breaking and beautiful, accessible and simple in its piano and vocal pairing, and delicate yet also conceptually heavy enough to completely floor you as you listen.
If you’re looking for songs that feel real, new, purposeful, fascinating – such as the music of Medium Build, Bo Burnham, Father John Mistry – this album is absolutely one to spend time with.
Find Tom Peyton on Instagram.
