Interview: Tom Aspaul on upcoming album, Cabin Fever

Singer and songwriter from Wolverhampton, Tom Aspaul, released his début album ‘Black Country Disco’ in 2020, which was followed in 2022 with ‘Life in Plastic’. Tom’s song writing credits include Kylie Minogue’s ‘Feels So Good’ on which he also appears in the backing vocals, as well as writing for many other artists including: Snakehips, Celeste, and fellow West Midlander, Becky Hill. This year, he is releasing his third studio album, Cabin Fever which will be available in May.

Cabin Fever, which includes the single of the same name which is available now, is Aspaul’s self-proclaimed “best album yet!”

“Seriously, ‘Cabin Fever’ has a little bit of everything,” he tells Midlands Rainbow “You can pop it on in the background and let it play during dinner, or you can crank it up loud and have a boogie.

“It’s got a breezy, psychedelic, summery feel, but there are some very dark moments. It’s electronic but it’s also way more organic - there are more live instruments and percussive elements. I have an amazing backing vocalist on some of the tracks so the vocals sound richer and fuller.

“The lyrics are very personal and quite often a bit trippy and confusing - I wanted to keep listeners guessing with the meanings behind things - but I think it’s quite an emotional record that a lot of people will be able to identify with. It’s very light-hearted and funny in places too, I don’t think I could ever take myself too seriously!

“The main inspiration came from a weekend in Sweden two years ago. It was Midsommar, which is like a big Bank Holiday event for Swedes, everyone goes a bit crazy. I hired a cabin on a remote island with my friend and we let ourselves go in the mystical, trippy vibes of the season! Annoyingly, we ended up taking it way too far and for a short period of time it was actually quite terrifying. I saw and felt things I would never like to experience again, but came through the other side with clarity of mind and the knowledge that I had to write an album about it.

“For this album, I kept a notebook and wrote a lot of stuff down, and then when I felt particularly inspired, I’d sit at my computer and keyboard and just hash out some little song ideas, recording melodies into my phone or setting up a microphone in my home studio. I ended up writing nearly 30 songs. I had a lot to get off my chest! Once I’d completed a demo, I’d spend several days in the studio with Gil Lewis (my producer) honing and finessing the sound - he would add guitar and bass. I played a lot of percussion and keyboards. It took 18 months.”

Tom’s friend, and Brummy drag queen, Yshee Black once referred to the singer as ‘The British George Michael’, inaccuracies aside, we asked what Tom’s favourite George Michael song would be.

“Recently I’ve become a big fan of ‘Amazing’ - again something that clicked long after it was released!” Tom said, “Actually that song is quite a big inspiration behind some of the ‘Cabin Fever’ tracks sonically.”

His favourite song on the upcoming album though is “the final track on the record ‘Cabaret’” which he believes “encapsulates the whole meaning of the album into 3 minutes. I’m a little bit annoyed I didn’t make it a single, but it will be getting a lovely visual.”

Looking to the future, Tom feels “open to collaborate with almost anyone to be honest. I think someone completely out of my comfort zone would bring out another side to my songwriting or voice, who knows? But I love CMAT, she’s amazing. I love Lady Gaga obviously, I would actually want to make a Big Band record with her. And this year I have grown very fond of Ariana Grande. Her latest album is sublime.”

We'll be keeping our fingers crossed for a Gaga collab, but until then, Tom Aspaul's upcoming album, Cabin Fever will be released on 19th May, and is available to pre-save now.

Follow@tom_aspaul on Instagram or head to his website and join the mailing list for updates including future tour dates.