Scottish singer-songwriter and doctor in ‘the perception of sound’ Tommy Ashby, releases ‘Cocoon’ (REL 15.03.19) the first single from his forthcoming ‘Golden Arrow’ EP set for release April 2019 via Wow and Flutter Records.

Cocoon was penned in a Paris hotel room, midway through Ed Sheeran’s mega stadium tour last year, where Tommy was the session guitarist. The song tells the familiar troubadour’s tale of the relentless nature of life on the road, without anchor and far away from the stability of a relationship.

Produced and mixed by Grammy award winner Sam Okell (John Grant, Graham Coxon) the track uses Tommy’s original laptop musings which have been morphed into a heady wash of tranquillity and stillness exploring those quiet moments of reflection.

Tommy says about Cocoon “I wrote Cocoon in a beautiful little studio just outside Paris having been on the road for two months straight. I was there to record guitar for another artist, but snuck upstairs to one of the bedrooms and started tinkering on the grand piano in the corner. This was apparently the room where Nick Cave stays and I like to think some of his inspiration rubbed off, because the song just fell out in one go.

Most of the single was recorded using my laptop microphone, super lo-fi! We tried to re-record the vocals and piano but the atmosphere just wasn’t there, so the background sounds of the birds and water splashes stayed. I think this song captures a wee moment in time, which feels pretty cool.

Tommy Ashby’s background is a rather unusual one for a singer-songwriter. Awarded a PhD in the perception of sound before most of us have grown out of daily midday lie-ins. Tommy manages to blend a technical understanding of the way our brain processes sound with the undisputable pure creative energy of someone who grew up writing and playing music in the wilds of Scotland.

The release of Cocoon starts the story of Tommy’s second EP, his previous EP, Restless Love, garnered support from Fearne Cotton, Radio 2, Spotify editorial, Record of the Day and major global syncs for Grey’s Anatomy, Netflix’s The Innocents and NBC’s Midnight Texas to name a few.

Tommy recently supported Scottish Band The Xcerts, Canadian singer-songwriter Josh Hyslop and toured the highlands with Sean McGowan. He has also toured the UK & Europe supporting Rhodes, Tom Speight and Nina Nesbitt.

Tommy Ashby’s Golden Arrow EP is released on April 26^th 2019 via Wow and Flutter Records.