| Dear Tommy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Genre | Synth-pop, dream pop, Italo disco, synthwave |
| Label | Italians Do It Better |
| Producer | Johnny Jewel |
Dear Tommy is the unreleased sixth studio album by Chromatics, originally scheduled for release on Valentine's Day 2015, then 2018. [1] [2] [3] The album had not been released by the time the group disbanded in 2021, although 11 songs that were at one point intended for Dear Tommy were released between 2014 and 2020. [4]
Dear Tommy was said to be completed [5] and Chromatics announced the LP in December 2014. [3] The single "Shadow" was released in 2015, including physical copies on vinyl, ahead of the album. [6] By 2015 Chromatics had also shared the tracks "In Films", [7] "Just Like You" [8] and "I Can Never Be Myself When You're Around" on the Internet. [9] [10] However, it was reported in 2017 that Johnny Jewel had destroyed all physical copies of the album in January 2016 [11] —15,000 CDs and 10,000 vinyl copies—following a near-death experience while swimming in 2015 [2] [3] [5] [12] [13] and his subsequent desire to improve the songs before release. [2] Those songs already made available from the first version of the record were eventually removed from Internet sources. [3] [12] It is believed that the album was then re-recorded, [3] [12] including previously released songs. A representative for Chromatics has said that the Camera EP (2018) relates to the album Dear Tommy. [14]
The group's intervening fifth album, Closer to Grey , was released on October 2, 2019, having only been announced the day before. [15] [16] The album's artwork features the Roman numeral VII. Despite having not been released, the band also labeled Dear Tommy with the numeral 'VI' on their social media. [17] Another song from the unreleased album, "Teacher", was made available in April 2020 along with an updated track listing for the album. [18] On August 10, 2021, the band announced their break-up. [19]
In December 2021, following the band's split, Pitchfork reported that Jewel's story of the destruction of the entire print run of Dear Tommy in 2016 was disputed by multiple parties close to the band, including by the CD and vinyl pressing plants that would have been contracted by Italians Do It Better to print those copies at the time. [4]
The album has been described as having a "mythic" and cult status among fans of the band. [20] [21] [22] [23] In 2019, Phoenix New Times wrote that it was "as if its anticipation has made it just as real and tangible as its predecessors." [24] In a 2021 article about delayed albums, 34th Street Magazine wrote that the band's "constant balancing act of disappointment and reassurance keeps fans hooked into the masochism of Dear Tommy's delayed release cycle. But they also must come to terms with the fact that the album may never even come out at all." [25] Rolling Stone concluded "it's possible that the band may one day release a completed Dear Tommy. Or maybe it will go down in history as the Smile of the 2010s." [26]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fresh Blood" | |
| 2. | "Glitter" | |
| 3. | "Never Tell" | |
| 4. | "Just Like You" | |
| 5. | "She Says" | |
| 6. | "The Moment" | |
| 7. | "Time Rider" | |
| 8. | "White Fences" | |
| 9. | "Teacher" | |
| 10. | "Between the Lines" | |
| 11. | "Too Late" | |
| 12. | "Dear Tommy" | |
| 13. | "Melodrama" | |
| 14. | "Ultra Vivid" | |
| 15. | "Colorblind" | |
| 16. | "Sometimes" | |
| 17. | "Dream Sequence" | |
| 18. | "Endless Sleep" |
The following songs from this final tracklist were released by Chromatics as singles:
Spoon is an American rock band from Austin, Texas, consisting of members Britt Daniel, Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel, Gerardo Larios and Ben Trokan. The band was formed in Austin in October 1993 by Daniel and Eno. Critics have described the band's musical style as rock and roll, post-punk, and art rock.
Chromatics were an American electronic music band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2001. The band's final line-up consisted of Ruth Radelet, Adam Miller, Nat Walker, and Johnny Jewel. The band originally featured a trademark sound indebted to punk and lo-fi that was described as "noisy" and "chaotic". After numerous lineup changes, which left guitarist Adam Miller as the sole original member, the band began releasing material on the Italians Do It Better record label in 2007, with their style streamlined into an Italo disco-influenced sound.
Baroness is an American heavy metal band from Savannah, Georgia that has been active since 2003. The members of the original line-up grew up together in Lexington, Virginia. The band has undergone numerous line-up changes, with Baizley serving as the sole constant throughout.
Los Campesinos! are a seven-piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. The band has seen several lineup changes– lead vocalist Gareth David Paisey and guitarists Neil Turner and Tom Bromley are the only remaining original members, now joined by guitarist Rob Taylor, keyboardist Kim Paisey, bassist Matt Fidler and drummer Jason Adelinia.
Beach House is an American rock band formed in Baltimore in 2004 by current members Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. Their work is characterized by a hypnotic dream pop style.
Deerhunter is an American indie rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of Bradford Cox, Moses Archuleta, Lockett Pundt, Josh McKay (bass) and Javier Morales.
Vampire Weekend is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson, and bassist Chris Baio. Batmanglij departed the group in early 2016 but has continued to occasionally contribute to subsequent albums as a songwriter, producer, and musician.
Italians Do It Better is an independent record label based in Portland and West Hollywood. It was started by Johnny Jewel and Mike Simonetti on July 20, 2006, to focus on Jewel's projects Glass Candy and Chromatics and later Desire, Symmetry and Mirage, in addition to other artists from prior releases. Genres from the label have been described as contributing to the synth-pop, post-punk, and Italo-disco revivals. They have released three label compilations, 'After Dark' (2007), 'After Dark 2' (2013), 'After Dark 3' (2020), and 'After Dark 4' (2022), all of which feature music from their roster.
Glass Candy was an American electronic music duo from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1996 by vocalist Ida No and producer and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Jewel. The band is part of the Italians Do It Better label. While the band's early work blends elements of no wave, art punk, and glam rock, their later work incorporates synth-pop and Italo disco.
Desire is a Canadian electronic music band from Montreal, formed in 2009. The band consists of vocalist Megan Louise and producer Johnny Jewel. Formerly, Nat Walker is also on the band on synthesizer and drums. Their debut studio album, II, was released on June 30, 2009 on the Italians Do It Better label. Their lyrics are in French and English.
Chvrches are a Scottish synth-pop band from Glasgow, formed in September 2011. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott. Mostly deriving from the synth-pop genre, Chvrches also incorporate indietronica, indie pop, and electronic dance into their sound.
Run the Jewels, also known by the initials RTJ, is an American hip hop duo composed of Brooklyn-based rapper and producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike. They released their critically acclaimed self-titled debut studio album as a free download in 2013 and have since released the follow-up albums Run the Jewels 2 (2014), Run the Jewels 3 (2016), and RTJ4 (2020), all of which have been released for free and received critical acclaim.
Symmetry is an American instrumental musical duo consisting of Johnny Jewel and Nat Walker of Chromatics.
Johnny Jewel is an American musician, record producer, composer, and visual artist. He is a multi-instrumentalist who is known for using all-analog equipment. Jewel has been recording and releasing material since the mid-1990s.
The discography of American hip hop duo Run the Jewels consists of four studio albums, two remix albums and fifteen singles.
EarthGang is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu and WowGr8. They are co-founders of the musical collective Spillage Village, with JID, Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant, 6lack, Mereba, and Benji.
Brockhampton was an American boy band/rap collective founded in 2014 in San Marcos, Texas. Led by Kevin Abstract and formed partially through the online music discussion forum KanyeToThe, the group's final line-up consisted of vocalists Abstract, Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, and Dom McLennon, vocalists/producers Joba, Bearface, and Jabari Manwa and producers Romil Hemnani and Kiko Merley, as well as graphic designer Henock "HK" Sileshi, photographer Ashlan Grey, web designer Roberto Ontenient, and manager Jon Nunes.
Closer to Grey is the sixth and final studio album by American electronic music band Chromatics, released through Italians Do It Better without prior announcement on October 2, 2019. It is their first album in seven years, and follows the continuing delay of Dear Tommy, originally teased in 2014. On March 31, 2020, the band released a companion album titled Faded Now which included remixes from Closer to Grey, as well as covers and new material. All the tracks that compose this double feature are included in the deluxe edition of Closer to Grey, as well as instrumental and a cappella versions of some songs.
Me Rex, stylised as ME REX, is a British indie rock band formed in London by songwriter Myles McCabe. Initially a solo endeavour, it has now expanded to a full band with the addition of Rich Mandell and Phoebe Cross. They have released two studio albums and multiple EPs.
Lost River is the soundtrack to the 2015 film of the same name directed by Ryan Gosling and stars Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan, Iain De Caestecker, Matt Smith, Ben Mendelsohn, Barbara Steele and Eva Mendes. The film's musical score is composed by Johnny Jewel, featuring an original score with dialogues from the cast appearing as interludes in the score and contributions from Jewel's former bands Glass Candy, Chromatics, Desire and Symmetry. The soundtrack to the film was released on March 30, 2015 through Jewel's Italians Do It Better record label and further issued in triple LP vinyl editions on November 2015.