Catching Up With Old Smile
It’s been a minute since we last caught up with Old Smile, aka Tom Herman, solo artist out of New Jersey. Herman has been busy. He’s released a raft of new albums in this year alone. So while yes, it was and is totally the shittiest year ever, at least it wasn’t ALL bad. Rather than try and summarize Herman’s body of work for the past two years, we’d like to point you towards the most recent (side note, when I originally envisioned this article, Herman’s most recent album is no longer that as he’s released a few more). H from Two Sixteen is at least the most recent album that I have spent considerable time with, and its a good one. It’s an EP length release that showcases Herman’s talent for melancholy, psychedelic-leaning, lo-fi rock. You can stream the whole thing below.
In other Herman news, he has also hooked up with artist Alex Fermanis to form duo Wearing Here. Fermanis and Herman just have a single song recorded, “Maze.” It’s hard to judge much from one track, but “Maze” makes for promising fodder. It doesn’t stray too much from Herman’s solo sound, but the dual vocals definitely add an interesting new element.
In even more Herman related news, there is also a brand new video available that the artist created for his (actual) most recent album Mirror on a Blue Hill. The newest record is also great, as is the video which utilizes new footage courtesy of Herman, spliced in with video from a documentary his grandfather made. The whole thing is pretty surreal.
Mirror on a Blue Hill Pt. I from old smile on Vimeo.
Tom Herman has been a busy man indeed – so busy we’re always struggling to keep up. If you like what you hear and want to keep closer tabs on whats coming next, you can follow him on any of the links below.
