Album interview: Tom Kay – “From The Outside In”

1 January 2022

Black and white image featuring text overlay that reads 'TOM KAY' and 'FROM THE OUTSIDE IN', with a scenic field and trees in the background. — **Cover art**: Tom Kay

What was the inspiration behind the album?
‘From The Outside In’ was my first album. I had a collection of songs that I had recently written that I felt were strong enough to make my first release. All the songs were written on an acoustic guitar and had a similar feel and that provides the foundation for the album.

How long did the album take to create from start to finish?
It didn’t take long at all. The songs were written over the space of 2 or 3 months. As for the recording, the guitars were done in one session, vocals in another and pedal steel and piano in another. Then it was left to Dan (Dan Foster, Producer) to add a string arrangement and mix it all.

Which track was written first?
I can’t remember which track was written first. ‘Learn When You Live’ was an early one as I had written that before the rest of the album.

Do you have any personal favourite tracks?
It’s easy to move away from playing certain songs as the years go by and new songs come along. But some songs just stick and age better than others. I still play a couple of the tracks live. If I had to choose a favourite, I’d probably say ‘Don’t Look Back’.

Were any tracks difficult to write?
I wouldn’t say any of the tracks were particularly difficult to write but I had spent around 5 or 6 years writing songs before I got to those on this album so I guess I spent 6 years practicing writing.

Genre: Singer/Songwriter, Acoustic, Indie Folk

Released: 8th April 2016

You can find out more about Tom via Apple Music, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, Twitter or YouTube.

You can read my Independent Music Monday interview with Tom here, and you can also read my interviews with him about his later albums “Wither & Bloom” and “Space Tourist“.