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Reliant Tom

 

 

ARTIST BIO

Tracing their origins to a chance meeting at DIY show in Brooklyn in 2015, the Brooklyn-based post rock electronic band and experimental performance art Reliant Tom is centered around its core creative duo, Western Massachusetts-born, Brooklyn-based composer Monte Weber and Dallas, TX-born, Brooklyn-based choreographer and vocalist Claire Cuny. The duo’s collaboration is a seamless synthesis of their individual talents and interests – sound design, wearable technology, modern dance and hook-driven, yet genre-defying songwriting.

 

“Reliant Tom gives me the outlet to explore both pulse driven works while maintaining the other musical elements which I find fascinating - timbre, aleatoric processes, and interactive technologies,” Weber explains. Adds Cuny, “Our ultimate goal with Reliant Tom is to be a multi-media performance experience that straddles the line between pop and experimental music - and philosophizing about what that even means, and is that even possible as ‘experimental pop’?”

 

Thematically, the duo’s two previous releases, 2016’s self-released, self-titled EP and 2018’s critically applauded, full-length debut effort Bad Orange, touch upon the pitfalls of digital communication and the generally blasé nature of modern social interaction – through the guise of avant-pop and avant-punk influenced musical devices and arrangements featuring electric guitar, vocals, a hybrid electro-acoustic drum kit, synthesizers and Weber’s Kontrol Instrument, which he developed while studying at the Paris-based Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music as a way to make electronic music more tactile and immersive in its performance.

 

Released on May 8th, 2020, Reliant Tom’s sophomore effort Play & Rewind is a decidedly bold and self-assured step forward: Cuny’s sultry and expressive vocals while being prominently placed front and center, effortlessly glide over lush yet spacious arrangements of shimmering acoustic guitars, atmospheric electronics and twinkling keys with the material possessing a cinematic air that recalls Dummy-era Portishead, Tales of Us-era Goldfrapp, Radiohead circa OK Computer and others. And while continuing to be tech heavy in their means of sonic production, their thematic exploration of communication and interaction in the digital age takes a back seat. This time taking a more human approach, the material may arguably be the most mature yet accessible, most emotionally honest and vulnerable of their growing catalog.

 

 

 

 

 

LIVE PERFORMANCES

On Songkick (Link)

 

 

 

PRESS KIT IMAGES (includes album artwork)

DOWNLOAD

 

 

 

DISCOGRAPHY

(click for complete release bio and purchase links)

 

 

When We Were Young

(single)

 

 

Play & Rewind

(album)

 

 

11-2

(single)

 

 

The Sky is Falling

(single)

 

 

Nevermind the Garbage

(single)

 

 

Bad Orange

(album)

 

 

Happy Birthday

(single)

 

 

SOS

(single)

 

 

Reliant Tom

(EP)

 

 

 

PRESS HIGHLIGHTS

 

Pop Dust - "Claire's haunting tones invest the lyrics with stark melancholy""

 

The Spill Magazine - "They explore every musical crevice... full of sheer inventiveness and passion... an effort that leaves nothing off the table and evolves with each listen"

 

Black Book Media - "Building from moody ballad, to Cobain-worthy midesection and ending in a sparse trance of harmonis, the track viscerally captures the rise and fall of emotions that come with death"

 

The Joy of Violent Movement - “Aching and brooding... it swoons from the dark and overwhelming weight of loss and grief - and the knowledge that while you will find some way to push forward, that deep down you’ll recognize that your life will never quite be the same”

 

MXDWN - "Claire Cuny’s rich, sultry vocals take the forefront. Plinking piano keys and a gradually shift into heavier instrumentation add a dramatic flare to the song, showcasing the undeniable chemistry of Cuny and her bandmate Monte Weber"

 

BTR Today - "Powerful yet soothing vocals accompanied by slow melancholic slide guitar to express the torment, the numbness, and the confusion that balls up inside someone who loses a loved one."

 

Girl Underground - "Takes a new reality, post-apocalyptic electronics, and expansive soundscape to ride the mental waves of anguish."

 

Music & Riots - "An intoxicating blend of avant-pop with beautifully constructed and pliable melodies"

 

The Big Takeover - "A funky, futuristic spectacle that shines brightly"

 

Art Voice - "Future-pop that sounds like a fiery mix between St. Vincent and Radiohead"

 

MXDWN - "Delightfully-experimental sound that pushes boundaries while retaining an ultra-cool pop-chic quality that’s like little else out there"

 

The Deli - "Nothing if not absolutely striking... clever instrumentals and cutting edge musical tech with sultry vocals and sharp-tongued lyricism"

 

Custom Made Music - “Lush atmospheric tones that radiate with undeniable elegance... highlighted by the hypnotic swagger of vocalist Claire Cuny”

 

No More Division - "Firm yet beautiful vocals paired... with woozy and electronic elegance"

 

Music Heartbeat - Fascinating sound design and sensibility of composition with captivating and haunting vocals

 

Alfitude - “Interesting synth and indie pop.”

 

Audiotox - “SOS is slow, sensual and has some deep nostalgic feel to it. The chill level is just the right amount, you’re kept on your toes by a grating synth that manages to retain the melodic feel while sounding badass.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ARTIST LINKS

OFFICIAL SITE

 

TWITTER

 

FACEBOOK

 

INSTAGRAM

 

SOUNDCLOUD

 

BANDCAMP

 

YOUTUBE

 

 

 

AUDIO STREAMS

 

 

 

 

MUSIC DISTRIBUTORS

 

APPLE

 

GOOGLE PLAY

 

SPOTIFY

 

AMAZON

 

 

VIDEOS

 

"Play & Rewind"

 

 

 

"The Sky is Falling"

 

 

 

"Bad Orange"

 

 

 

"Alien"

 

 

 

"Divergent"

 

 

 

"Happy Birthday"

 

 

 

"SOS"

 

 

 

(c) Diversion Records    (c) Dissonant Diversion Publishing (ASCAP & BMI)