Calgary indie ensemble Thomas Thomas is the result of the creative collision of the sincere singer-songwriter Shannon Thomas and the curious indie-rocker Thomas Englund (Bell Tower, Betaboys). Combining their names and adding a sparkly rock ensemble, the band makes swooning and nostalgic songs worthy of the swankiest high school prom. Known for their hand-crafted aesthetic, heavily decorated live shows, and love of the colour yellow, Thomas Thomas has landed a YYC Music Award nomination and a first place win at the Ship & Anchor songwriting contest. Their tunes have seen chart positions on CJSW, CKUA, spins on X92.9, and a dedicated local following. The band has performed with Japanese Breakfast, Shannon & The Clams, and Monowhales, and has graced the stages of Canadian Music Week, Sled Island, and BIG Winter Classic. Their dreamy indie idiosyncrasy on their debut self-titled EP (2019) has drawn comparisons to Born Ruffians, Wallows, and Camera Obscura.
The band is returning from this strange season with two singles about displacement and disappointment. ‘Right Place Wrong Time’ is a dreamy retrospective about “pining after someone, but never feeling like it’s the right time.” Catching and recatching feelings over several “missed connections” from 2008 onward, finding them holding a TI-83 in class, or running into them at a blockbuster video. The contemplative and anxious ‘Interesting Times’, originally released on the Sled Island Lemonade Stand Vol. 1, has been remixed, remastered, and “sonically solidified” for wide release. Recorded and inspired by the isolation of the early pandemic, the song is a love letter to friends near and far. Both songs were produced by Chris Dadge (ALVVAYS, Lab Coast, Chad VanGaalen) who brought focus and detail to the band’s earnest feeling-scapes, and mastered by Elisa Pangsaeng (Yukon Blonde).
The nostalgic ‘Right Place Wrong Time,’ is currently featured on a Starbucks social ad campaign.