Multi-instrumentalist Tom Misch and rapper Loyle Carner have been collaborating for nearly 10 years and, in that time, they’ve forged one of the most widely acknowledged and adored alliances of their musical generation. Their respective individual brilliance and laid-back styles have combined to produce some of the finest jazz-rap tracks of recent times. Tom’s beats provide the perfect backdrop for Loyle’s vocals, and vice versa. They truly bring out each other’s best, whilst underlining their laid-back, groovy styles, across brilliant tracks such as Nightgowns, Damselfly and Angel.
Individually, the close friends have also had a huge influence on the modern British neo-soul/jazz and hip-hop scenes, through albums such as Tom’s Geography and Loyle’s Yesterday’s Gone and Not Waving, But Drowning. Of course, they both appear on all three of these albums, which undoubtedly contributes to their respective successes.
For Tom, it’s been a quiet couple of years, despite a handful of features and his brilliant electronic dance album, Happy Music, released as alter-ego ‘Supershy’ in 2023. Most recently he made a guest appearance during Loyle Carner’s epic All Points East headline show this summer. Following the release of Insecure and Cinnamon Curls (both of which were written years ago, according to Tom), this truly felt like him teasing a much-awaited return to the jazz scene.
And that’s looking even more likely, now he’s enlisted Loyle again for new track Colourblind.
It’s a relaxed, signature Tom Misch guitar track, held down with an easy drum beat, and enhanced by a classically poetic and tactful Loyle verse – as is always the case when he makes an appearance.
Colourblind completes a relaxed, soulful 4-track EP, which feels minimalistic but still full of Tom’s guitar-driven charm and groove. I look forward to hearing what’s to come, and I hope this is just him getting started.
Waxing Lyrical 