Thavoron, the Seattle-based Cambodian American singer-songwriter, recently dropped his second album and short film, Tommy Loves You via Trailing Twelve Records, following on the heels of his 2021 album, Ugly.
The son of Cambodian immigrants, Thavoron was raised in Everett, WA where he regularly felt like an outsider. According to Thavoron, “…being surrounded by people I couldn’t fully relate to resorted to me locking myself up in my bedroom to just write to try and make sense of all my differences as a person.”
After spending his formative teenage years writing in his bedroom and trying to understand the complexities of his identity, Thavoron moved to Seattle, hoping to cultivate a community of peers. He enrolled in college and started exploring his identity as a young, gay, Cambodian American man. Having a newfound sense of purpose for his self-discovery and artistic expression, Thavoron decided to leave school to pursue his music full-time.
Thavoron started the songwriting process for Tommy Loves You in October 2021. After recording demos in his bedroom, Thavoron enlisted the help of Phillip Peterson to add percussion, cello, and bass and Spencer Edgers to play flute and saxophone. Working alongside Peterson and Edgers, Tommy Loves You highlights Thavoron as an artist with a clear vision and deft ability to create heartbreaking atmospheres.
Encompassing seven tracks, Tommy Love You begins with “18,” opening on low-slung, ethereal tones, followed by the entry of Thavoron’s wistful, evocative vocals, imbuing the lyrics with dreamy, tender timbres. Vaguely reminiscent of Christopher Cross, “18” is at once gorgeously wrought and oh-so exquisite.
Speaking subjectively, entry points include “Nervous,” with its soft, shimmering surfaces topped by Thavoron’s seductively beguiling voice, nuanced with passionate coloration. On the outro, the harmonics elevate to enthralling washes of sound.
A personal favorite because of its hazy, drifting flow, “Good” glides on diaphanous, gentle textures, ebbing and rising on latent, floating layers, akin to a sacred prayer.
Rolling out on dark, coasting hues, “Stain” highlights the atmospheric voice of Thavoron, revealing a haunting field of suppressed energy – lonely, and pregnant with mysterious symbolism.
Pulsing with sighing urgency, Tommy Loves You is without a doubt one of the best albums of the year – irresistible and bewitching.
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