On his latest offering ‘Expanding Universe’, London-based wordsmith Tom Minor delivers a sharp-edged slice of existential indie that pulls no punches and offers no easy escape. It’s the soundtrack for a world spiralling, but not without awareness.
Clocking in with the kind of biting social commentary that feels ripped from a dystopian dispatch, ‘Expanding Universe’ is less of a single and more of a warning flare. Set against a backdrop of snarling guitars and tightly coiled rhythms courtesy of the aptly named Creatures Of Habit, the track channels everything from post-punk urgency to garage rock grit. Think early Elvis Costello laced with a touch of Ty Segall’s lo-fi snarl and a sneer borrowed straight from Paul Weller’s sharper days.
But beneath the fuzz and fire lies a songwriter with something real to say. Minor’s vocals feel lived-in and cynical, worn down by years of watching society click itself deeper into distraction. This is a laser-focused meditation on complacency and complicity, delivered with just enough sardonic wit to keep you grinning through the burn. And just when you think you’ve settled into the groove, the lyrics hit you sideways by being both poetic and devastatingly observant.
Produced by Teaboy Palmer- whose knack for raw fidelity perfectly complements Minor’s unvarnished truths- the track doesn’t aim for polish. It leans into the grit. The kind of lo-fi charm that makes it feel like you’re discovering a lost gem on a scratched-up 7-inch in a dusty record shop.
With this new release, Tom Minor proves that indie-rock is still a place where ideas can live loud, and ‘Expanding Universe’ might just be the thinking person’s protest anthem of the year.
