Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps – “With Eyes Closed”

Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps – “With Eyes Closed” – Single Review

I really love what I’m hearing here in this single from Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps’ new record called This Is My Happy Face…and I was completely fascinated by the story that comes along with the album.  We’re talking about impressively unique, artistic sound for sure – but we’re also talking about a set of equally unique emotions and grounded perspective at work as well…it all makes for quite the compelling combination when all is said & done.  Largely, This Is My Happy Face deals with the moments that occur just prior to death where we’re hopefully reliving our highlights, before everything goes dark.

With the stunning vocals of Tom leading the way, and lyricism that playfully bends this way & that with the music, there’s no question about the endearing nature of a song like “With Eyes Closed” and the high degree of appealing melody on display through both the music & vocals – this is stellar, all-around, from the ideas to the final execution, no stone has been left unturned in the attention to detail.  While a large portion of “With Eyes Closed” is fairly minimalist by design with strings guiding you alongside Tom’s vocals, the way this single blossoms, expands, and evolves as it plays of leads to a vividly colorful and wildly expressive finale that puts the cherry on top of what’s been an incredible experience through & through.  It’s a sweet single, that’s the facts – but I think what people will really love about this song is how it’s got that wonderful Indie perspective that conjures up unique emotions & imagery to make its impact on ya…and it’s completely because of the anti-typical way the writing hits you, that it creates a genuinely memorable impression that’s bound to last, and a song that you’re bound to seek out on the regular.  It’s beautiful stuff – Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps have a verifiable gem with “With Eyes Closed” – I can’t imagine many people out there putting up much resistance against the allure of this tune.  Reminds me a lot of the band skittish…and if you’ve been anywhere within earshot of me and my stereo over the past couple years, you already know full-well that’s one of my favorite bands out there in the independent scene right now – Tom Tikka is keepin’ mighty fine company when it comes to the sound he’s gently rockin’ with…the creativity, imagination, and gift of melody he’s got is outstanding.

The way the song fills in at the chorus is bang-on…I mean that literally & figuratively…it’s the BIG beat of the drums that spurs on the music surrounding Tom’s vocals to expand.  Incidentally…from what I’ve read, that exquisite music you’ll be listening to is the results of the collaboration between Tom and Janne Saksa at the heart of it all…and in my opinion, you couldn’t have asked anything else from them other than exactly what you’ll find in this gorgeous & gloriously divergent song they’ve got here.  Sure it’s fair enough to say that a song like “With Eyes Closed” would proudly reside on the fringes of what’s happening out there in the music-scene sound/style-wise – but the magic in the melody here, and sheer allure of this song at the heights of its emotional intensity are bound to parlay their uniqueness and the artful nature of the vibe in Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps into their own highly accessible appeal.  That’s a long-winded way of me saying they’ve got extremely universal sound running through the soul of this song, and emotion that listeners will have no problem whatsoever connecting to.  There’s a whole lot of heart & art in a song like this y’all…to me, that’s what ends up creating such an inspiring & uplifting vibe at the core of this song at its peak – there’s just something authentically special and triumphant about it all…I’m really digging the sound of “With Eyes Closed” and how much the potential of this tune has been reached.  It’s as if Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps knew exactly what this song needed, exactly how to give all that to it, and exactly how much we’d love it as a result.  I suspect they’re onto something; there’s a beautiful connection to music, melody, and emotion that runs deep throughout “With Eyes Closed” through the vocals, lyrics, and sound…through this entire band altogether really – there ain’t no doubt about it, Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps has got the magic.

Find out more about Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps at the official website:  https://www.tomtikka.com

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