Hailing from the Isle of Wight, Tom George, aka The Lion and the Wolf has been described as “one of the UK’s most promising singer-songwriters”.
It’s been quite a year for Tom, first being represented by the Coda music agency and then signing to Xtra Mile Recordings.
‘The Cardiac Hotel’
Today (Friday), Tom releases his second album – ‘The Cardiac Hotel’. It’s the first through Xtra Mile Recordings and has already received critical acclaim.
Check out below what some of the press are saying.
Ventnor-produced video
As well as the new album, there’s a beautifully atmospheric video for ‘Heaven Forbid’, the second track on the album.
The video was shot and edited by another Ventnorian whose work we’re big fans of, Luke Bridgeman.
Starring many familiar faces (see how many you recognise), the video was shot in Ventnor and Bonchurch. We’re sure you’ll agree it’s top notch!
https://youtu.be/F3S2ZhMRpTM
“An elegantly understated and wistfully melancholic collection of prime-cut songs in the singer-songwriter vein” – Musical Melting Pot on Symptoms (92%)
“…filled with emotion, beautiful vocals and wonderful melody” – Alt Corner.
“‘Symptoms’ is an accomplished album from one of the most underrated singer-songwriters in the UK today. It’s poignant, mature, and the perfect soundtrack for the long winter ahead” – Punktastic
“A wholly autumnal, acoustic-led slice of melancholy…one of the UK’s most promising singer-songwriters.” – Rock Sound
“Gentle vocals and lilting drive call to mind Elliot Smith and Simon and Garfunkel” – The Independent
Here’s what Xtra Mile Recordings have to say about the album,
Second album The Cardiac Hotel was expedited and creatively driven by Thomas’s dad getting sick, the songs pouring forth as they tend to do when a loved one’s future is uncertain. It’s hard not to listen to The Lion and the Wolf’s second album and not feel a little of that seismic shift yourself. If you don’t feel it in the billowing organ chord that begins ‘Don’t Fail Me Now’, then it’ll fill you on ‘Myfatherseyes’. The reverb weight blurring the edges, seemingly disintegrating Thomas’s voice, brings pathos to the urgent, searing sounds that brew underneath.
Violins, brass and lyrics that break upon the softest ears and hearts like waves, particularly on ‘The Pinching Point’ (“All the time struggled to breathe, now she doesn’t have to grieve at the finish line”), while pianos and seething strings seem to bellow over the gentle finger picking and clicking drums on closer ‘Find the Time’.
It feels fragile while wrapping itself in strength of heart, a certain courage needed to bare the soul or strip down to honesty. The Cardiac Hotel is still warm though, never feeling disconnected from the listener, probably because of the lack of digital interference. And that’s important because The Lion and the Wolf is all about intimacy and understanding.
You’ll never be alone with The Lion and the Wolf, and you’ll never have to feel that way now you’re part of the pride and pack.
Buy the album directly from Xtra Mile Recordings or pop into Ventnor Exchange (where we think they’re bound to have it).
