Tom Lark is the pseudo-ego of a man birthed from the debris of an earthquake-ravaged rehearsal space. With the dying aid of a muck-a-bout laptop and a broken-stringed guitar, and no immediate employment prospects in sight, Lark created a makeshift studio in his bedroom where he produced music whilst Christchurch was being rebuilt in 2012. His latest single, Got Get a Job, is his newest material in twelve months. And just as his earlier alt-pop releases have attested, Tom Lark may just be boyishly charismatic enough to escape his adult responsibilities for another while, finding his saving grace in the rediscovery of grunge and Brit/70’s pop; “It’s a bit like Bowie with fuzz pedals and beats.”
- BRAT MUSIC -
You can hear a real brat vibe in my music but it’s also heartfelt. I often begin my writing process with some kind of joke or conflict in mind, like some kind of complaint, internal or otherwise. I then proceed to add lots of lots of effects.
But also about how people put up friendly facades, humanity, the mysteries that ensue…what a species! Essentially, it’s self-critiquing in a musical and naive pop song format.
"Give You All My Lovin’ is a song about how disappointingly selfish I can be at times - everyone is really."
But also about how people put up friendly facades, humanity, the mysteries that ensue…what a species! Essentially, it’s self-critiquing in a musical and naive pop song format.
- UNEMPLOYMENT -
I wrote Go Get a Job at a time when most of my friends had lost their jobs (largely due to the Christchurch earthquake), and after a while they were all starting to find work. I, on the other hand, had become accustomed to the freedom and low pressure that came with such a lack of responsibility. Instead of looking for work I began writing music, critiquing myself and making light of motivations (or lack thereof).
"Being unemployed can be about as unrewarding as it gets. "
I started out with the chorus and wondered if the lyric ‘shithead’ sounded too ridiculous and decided that it was defiant, which was why it had to stay. I felt like it best encapsulated the attitude of the world frowning on the unemployed with its you’re-a-drain-on-the-economy mentality. Having said that, maybe I really am a shithead and could be a more of a contributing member to society. But in the meantime, revel in my fuzzy pop music.
- EARTHQUAKES -
Shit happens. People lost a lot (in the earthquakes) and are still trying to rebuild and get their lives back together. I have recently adopted thinking that focusses on the things that I enjoy and skips over the bad bits, or at least makes them fun. I’m aware that it does sound quite lame, but the more time you can spend having fun in life, the less time you have to feel bad. I really believe now in the power of positive thinking. Hell, even just smiling can be pretty powerful.
- PACKING FOR CATASTROPHES -
I'd start with guitar strings first. In Christchurch the shops closed for months before you could replace gear, so there was very little going on. People were opening up bars in their backyards and having lots of parties but there was an inescapable boredom in the air that turned into frustration.
"In hindsight, I would have spent less money on cigarettes and more on parties and movies and shit."
