A Quick Chat with Tom Ellis

‘Those Days’ has a strong sense of nostalgia in both its sound and lyrics. What inspired this track, and what does it mean to you personally?

'Those Days' is about an old indie/pop/rock band I used to be in. We were always doing pretty well and playing lots of gigs, but when certain life decisions got in the way for a few of us, after our years of being together we ended up having to split and decided to call it. A band ending was a bit like a heart break for me. It was sad because we were doing really well and I was having a ball! But of course, life comes first. You can hear in the lyrics I'm talking about a bit of grief and then moments of happiness. Scanning back to the great times and then to the feelings I had when we ended. I wanted to keep that bands style to the song so I tried to write it how I thought we would sound as a band all those years ago.

Your music is clearly influenced by classic artists like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Dire Straits. How do you take those inspirations and make them your own?

I think those bands mainly wrote about very specific things. And you were able to sort of know what the song was about just by listening and looking at the lyrics. I think music these days (in my opinion) seems to reach a larger broader audience and the songs are quite hard to guess what they are about. Don't get me wrong, The Beatles wrote about a lot of random not meaningful music too. I think the point I'm trying too make is I love the passion and energy from that music. It really hits my heart and that's something I try and use and steal for my music, as I want people to feel the same as me when they listen to my music. People can really hear effort put into a product when there's a centre piece for them to vision.

You’ve worked with Phil Calvert, a legendary name in Australian music. What was that experience like, and how did it shape your upcoming EP?

Phil was someone who is pretty hard to forget once you've met him. He comes across in a very considerate way, but also in a bouncy, bubbly and witty way with a sense of being very straight forward. He cares a lot about what you are doing and what needs to be done, and he gives you the lenience as well to be free but also says his 2 cents which made such a difference to 'Those Days' and the other music he helped me out on. Phil made me write with more energy and meaning. He always loved to hear a story in a song. Like a lot of us do. He would always make me re think what I'm writing about, and it was such an eye opener for me when I next sat down with pen and paper to write lyrics. He also had such an ear for even things I couldn't hear at times. A very hard working man for whoever he is working with. I owe a lot to Phil for the work on 'Those days'

You’re originally from Perth but have been making waves in Melbourne. How have both cities influenced your music and career?

I think people underestimate the Perth music scene a lot. So many great artist in the last 10-15 years and even in the 90s came out of Perth. Right now, Spacey Jane, Tame Impala, DICE, Troye Sivan. Lots of names you would have heard of recently. It's quite easy to get a following in Perth, especially in the indie scene. A lot of people are very appreciative of live music in Perth. I think the only thing it lacks is the amount of people and opportunities as opposed to an art city like Melbourne. I've found the Victorian scene very competitive and very attentive too. I moved over here with a couple of opportunities and I've ben playing shows and working with great people over here for the last 12 months! It made me learn a lot more about an industry and approach of my music from other artists seen around.

You’ve mentioned your love for vintage instruments. Are there any particular pieces of gear that were essential in shaping the sound of ‘Those Days’?

I love clean sounds with my rhythm and then dirt and energy on the lead. I'll always add in an acoustic, overdub some electric and then a loud one track of dirty lead. A long with keys from time to time too. I use a bit of reverb, a bit of chorus and usually use a Mini tube screamer pedal, which is easy to tamely put some dirt over any rhythm that isn't too much. I like to be able to hear and feel every instrument. I like really fancy McCartney like bass lines as well. Something that makes your left or right ear prick up when you can hear the depth. Unfortunately I don't do drums myself. I'm just not as clean and was never brought up doing them myself or learning. Basically I could play but nothing special. But I like clear drum sounds as well. Nothing too much and nothing too loud especially. Balance needs to be just right.

With ‘Those Days’ kicking off 2025 for you, what can we expect in the coming months?

You can all be excited for the Ep that "Those Days" is going to be apart of in the winter of 2025. 3 songs have been released as singles and the rest is a mystery until then. I'm constantly writing and I'm constantly thinking about my music growing and the next project that lies ahead. I think after this EP, I'm going to start slowly looking to create a double side album and accumulate some singles over the years and hear the difference and growth in my music. So in saying that, I think there'll be one more little release after this EP before the end of 2025.