Premiere: Spencer Thomas Shares New Single 'Always Never You'
New LP The joke of life Out May 17th via Strolling Bones Records
09 May 2024
Next week, Athens, Georgia-based singer/songwriter Spencer Thomas is set to return with his new LP, The joke of life. The record comes five years after his debut released in 2019. Hangin' Tough and chronicles the change and turmoil of the intervening years, transforming it into vibrant, vintage-tinged songwriting. The record also features a variety of fellow Athens-based musicians, including appearances by members of My Morning Jacket, Drive-By Truckers and Futurebirds.
Earlier this year, Thomas shared the album's singles “How Come Heartbreak” and “Little Gold,” and today he follows up with his latest single, “Always Never You,” premiering with Under the Radar.
“Always Never You” is a dose of dreamy, soft-focus pop bliss, lovingly laced with a spacious rhythm section and sweeping melodies. The results sound indebted to 60s soul pop, creating styles that feel equal parts dreamlike and cherished. Meanwhile, Thomas' vocals float lazily over the hazy instrumentation, his lyrics yearning for a doomed romance that never was: “I think about all you do / While my well runs dry / And I still wonder why / We 're always never better together / That one and one don't make two / When it's not always you.”
Thomas says of the track, “I started singing this Brian Wilson-esque tune in the shower and couldn't shake it. This character is lost wondering why he and the person he loved never had the right shot. This is the lyrical version of traveling down a fantasy rabbit hole. I knew I wanted a playful one Pet sounds production, so we used every instrumental that Chase Park had in its basket (including a clown horn). I wrote the vocal arrangement and recorded most of the background vocals through my microphone at home.”
Check out the song below. The joke of life out May 17 via Strolling Bones Records. Pre-order the disc here.
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