Finding Thomas, the group founded by New York-based Thomas Guttman, has influences with deep roots in the past - and a sensibility finely to the present. Distinguished by a sense of songwriting craft, his EP debut packs a powerful punch. This is a trio of songs about love - but not necessarily love songs. Cohesive, complex, each track is a different side of singer / songwriter Thomas Guttman. Taken as a whole, it presents a fresh, personal, authentic new voice. These are songs marked by a taut, musical tension - between loose and tight in its rhythms, between romantic and caustic in its tone, between the past and the future in its sensibility. The result is a timeless suite of songs. This dramatic tension can found between the songs, yet also within the songs themselves. Influences are as varied as they are nuanced. Optimistic melodies are paired with lyrics that cut a sharper swath, a bittersweet twist. The internal tension generates a mysterious, dark spark. ‘Better On My Own’ has a tender guitar hook, paired with tale of a a heart shattered into pieces so sharp that they cut. The hooks are enticing, the lyrics - brutally honest. Thomas sings with an intimacy that feels like he’s confiding in the listener. ‘Get Out Of My Head’ alternates between the raw riff of its verse and the sweeping, emotional release of its chorus. There’s an emotional narrative here; questions are asked, answers are given. The volume alone speaks volumes. The international ensemble of musicians on this recording conjure a surprisingly straight up rock & roll record . One hears the lingering roar of the previous century colliding with the madness of the current century. Yet it’s still fundamentally rooted in bass, guitar, drums - and laced with a biting, lyrical poetry. Thomas Guttman creates music which hovers above genres, marked by a refusal to be pigeonholed. The fresh sound of the new never fails to surprise. Born and raised in New York City, Thomas’s group can be heard at The Standard, East Village, Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End, and Bowery Electric.
