SINGLE REVIEW: Victim of the Groove by Tom Auton
If - like us - you're addicted to Royal Blood's funky new sound, we've got the perfect track for you. Victim of the Groove comes direct to you from Cardiff, courtesy of one-man wonder Tom Auton.
In 2016 Tom received a dreadful mix of one of his songs, causing the control freak within him to spiral out of control. He started aggressively buying mics, mixing plug-ins and a laptop. Fast forward 5 years and he's living the DIY artist dream at the ripe age of 22, producing his own music in his studio at home in Cardiff.
The track opens with a jazzy, fuzz-thick riff (created by 9 different bass layers) that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination, followed by a melodic yet punchy verse leads straight into the beautifully layered and perfectly paced chorus. Every part of this track seems to complement itself beautifully, but in the most exciting and unexpected way - with rests and dalliances of heaviness in the all the right places. Tom's smooth, rich and agile vocals provide a flawless contrast with the overall dirtiness of the sound, and keeps the balance between disco and mosh pit right where you want it. The bridge is adept in exemplifying this, where all levels of the song go into a sonic overdrive - and then just like that, it's all over. You're satisfied, but somehow still want more. It'll leave you insatiable, so go on, hit that rewind button - you know you want to!
After listening, it might seem unbelievable that Tom wrote the song from a place of self-loathing towards his musical abilities. "Victim of the Groove ironically explores the hatred I feel toward myself when I can't write a new song. So I explored this hatred... by writing a new song. Throughout the verses I frivolously wallow in a pool of self pity, tearing myself down at every line. In the pre-chorus, I explain that self doubt is part and parcel of being a musician. I invite people into the world of being an independent artist, cycling between two main emotions; thinking you're god's gift when you write a good song and feeling worthless when you can't."
As well as being a magician at producing and mixing his own music, Tom also writes and produces for over 30 acts in the UK - but we're hoping he'll give us another filthy tune of his own in the near future!
Listen to Victim of the Groove on Spotify and Apple Music
Review by Courtney Myers
