Four years ago Loverboy ditched the chaos of London for the sunny shores of Barcelona and we’ve never looked back. But with the arrival of Tom Aspaul‘s glorious new album, Black Country Disco, about his love for his hometown of West Midlands, it’s possible we might just be feeling the onset of nostalgia…
We last spoke with Tom three years ago about writing for Kylie & Sugababes while releasing his Left EP. Since then his long-term relationship has come to an end, he’s quit the city too and headed home to record a whole album of exactly how he’s feeling. The album is brutal, intense, joyous and exciting. It captures the vibe of something ending, returning to somewhere familiar and a new beginning. Sonically it takes its cues from Xanadu, Abba and Electric Light Orchestra. A gay disco fantasy set in the the West Midlands.
Loverboy caught up with Tom to find out about Black Country Disco, the short film and remix album that will accompany it and his ‘rose-coloured version of the W.M.’
Tom, I love the new album. So much so that possibly for the first time since moving to Spain four years ago, I might even be missing the UK. Whaaaat?! How has your relationship with West Midlands changed? Did you ever envisage yourself writing an album about it?!
Well isn’t that something? Missing the UK?! My work here is done. Everyone here just wants to escape! I guess my album is actually very nostalgic for a time and place that doesn’t exist anymore. Half the buildings on the artwork have since been torn down. It’s a very rose-coloured version of the W.M. that I’m presenting! However, since the album came to fruition, I’ve really fallen in love with it. I always thought I’d end up in London, but I’m very comfortable accepting my place is here in the West Midlands!
And yes, I did envision writing about it, because I’ve always felt like the West Mids never got any airtime. Other places/cities seem to create much louder, more prouder citizens for some reason. We all just seem to be quite passive and happy to admit we’re not the greatest or the best at anything. I came up with the title in my last year of sixth form!
I had a complicated, long distance, drawn-out romance with a guy in San Francisco and it took me a while to stop associating the city with him. Your situation is obviously different but how do you feel about London now?
Oh I’m sorry to hear that, especially since San Fran is so gorgeous! Yeah, I guess London is totally different for me now – not just because I left. A lot of my closest friends moved away before I did – so every time I visit, a little piece of it feels like it’s chipped away. It’s just not the same. I’m always excited to visit, but more excited to return home. Which surprises me as much as it must surprise you! Life needn’t be smaller in ‘the provinces’ – just looking at all I’ve managed to achieve outside of the capital makes me wonder why I stayed so long in the first place.
You’ve said before that writing about a break-up is cathartic. I imagine it’s kind of closure too. But is it weird then having to discuss it further, through interviews, etc?
Yes, it is a bit weird but I mentally prepared myself for it. Also, I’m quite isolated where I live, I don’t have many friends here or much chance to talk about it all, except over the phone etc, so actually this sudden resurgence of feelings is quite helpful and cathartic in its own way!
Which is your favourite song on the album right now?
I would say a toss up between ‘01902’ and ‘Black Country Disco’. I wrote and produced them both in quick succession this June after quite a few setbacks. It was during a horrendous heatwave, in my parents’ small spare bedroom – and looking back I just can’t believe I managed it. Surrounded by mattresses and duvets and a cot – I had serious doubts I would make anything that sounded passable – but they ended up being a real highlight of the album for me.
Which one came most easily?
‘W.M.’ was just an absolute joy to write. I wrote it in two stints, both around 30 mins long and it all just flew out of me. Some of it I jotted down while jogging on a treadmill. I knew exactly the tone I wanted and it came so naturally.
Congratulations on producing for the first time! Was it scary or did it just feel a natural progression?
It was totally natural and actually very overdue. I had put off taking production seriously out of a combination of fear, financial restraints (equipment is so pricey!) and laziness (it’s very hard!). Eventually, during lockdown, I had all this time and it really couldn’t wait any longer. I had made the demos for pretty much every song on the album – and other songs in the past like ‘Indiana’ and ‘Do It Well’ which actually retain some of the original stems from my demo versions – so I knew I was capable, BUT, sitting there in front of a blank screen and having to create from scratch was incredibly daunting! I have to point out that I’m terrible at mixing though and if it wasn’t for Gil Lewis’ mixing skills, my productions would sound crap.
Tell us about the short film that’s coming!
I can’t wait! It’s three songs from the album and it tells the story in condensed form! Like the artwork it’s a bit of a love letter to the Black Country. I really wanted to show it from my perspective. Endless drives down the M6. The Birmingham skyline. Wolverhampton landmarks. And the beautiful, gorgeous countryside literally 10 minutes from my house that no one ever associates with the West Midlands. There’s some choreography, some sexy dancers, I get very wet at one point. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination!
Have you been working with a team on it?
Yes, it’s directed by Sam Taylor-Edwards, who is a fellow gay filmmaker and photographer based in London. He and I had worked on some press-pics late last year and really clicked in terms of aesthetics etc. He’s also just super lovely and easy to work with, so making a film with him felt like a natural fit. I told him my vision and he basically realised it. Music videos are so so tricky and expensive and this one has been mostly pain free, during a pandemic, which I think speaks volumes about him!
And you have a remix album coming too. What sort of sonic place are you headed to with that? Are you able to drop any of the names of the people you’re working with?
Yes! I do! I’m so excited by the prospect. We’re going to reimagine every song. There’s a whole cast of mostly queer/LGBT or Midlands based people involved. Sonically it’s actually hard to predict how it’ll sound right now, because there is a such wide range of acts, artists and remixers involved and each song could be reinterpreted in any number of ways – the only real brief I gave was ‘disco’ – which is vague as fuck for a reason, I want to hear their personal stamp on songs! I shan’t be divulging names at this very moment, because everything is still very tentative!
Our last question is always, ‘What is your favourite Mariah song?’ Last time we spoke you mentioned ‘Loverboy’ because of the sample drama with JLo. What do you think will happen in the aftermath of Mariah releasing the original Loverboy with the original sample, in two weeks?!
I am so so so looking forward to hearing that! I doubt much will happen though? Both women seem pretty secure and successful enough in their 50s to be bothered by something like this.. surely? You never know I guess!
Black Country Disco is out now
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