PRE-ORDER: Tommy Ashby - Mantis - 12" Eco-Mix Vinyl

Limited edition pressing of Tommy Ashby's sophomore album 'Mantis' on 12" Eco-Mix vinyl.

This is a pre-order product expected to ship w/c 2nd June 2025.

Eco-mix vinyl is a mixture of recycled unused PVC excess.  Sound quality is comparable to black vinyl and the product colour varies with every press so rather than you receiving a black vinyl record you will receive a mix of different colours from previous records which will only be determined on the day of manufacture.

Prolific Scottish songsmith Tommy Ashby has spent his career refining a natural talent for capturing the innate beauty of everyday moments in a dulcet combination of ethereal sonics and hushed vocals. His fascination with the human relationship to sound saw him complete a PhD in Psychoacoustics, knowledge of which Tommy deftly utilises throughout his songcraft to illuminate the beautiful minutia of life, nature, and relationships.

As his first self-produced effort, sophomore album ‘Mantis’ is understandably Tommy’s most introspective and personal work yet. A self-confessed over-thinker, Tommy uses the record to examine the anxieties and fears that arise through isolation and how our emotional connections and relationships to others can support us at our most vulnerable moments.

Whilst writing his debut album ‘Lamplighter’, Tommy found himself reconnecting with nature - swapping a one-bed flat in London for the big skies, reed beds and sunsets of rural Suffolk where he currently resides. Recording took place in a series of secluded retreats tucked away in the hidden corners of the UK and an affinity for location and nature permeated the record. ‘Mantis’ shifts focus away from this escapism and sees Tommy confront internalised fears of inaction, worry and powerlessness with a hopeful sense of catharsis.

“The album name Mantis comes from the song of the same name, which is about the fear of making a real connection with someone. I liked the weird metaphor of a mantis, known for decapitating its potential mate. The idea is that we exaggerate the risks, and they hold us from doing what we should. The worry that if we put ourselves out there, our flaws will be on display for all to see. But opening ourselves up, even only a tiny bit, is the only way we make connections with others. This song moves from the fear of being rejected to the happiness that comes with connection.”

Tommy’s decision to self-produce the album allowed him to approach his compositions under a new light and broach subjects in a way that wouldn’t have felt comfortable in the company of others: “Producing and mixing this album was one of the hardest things I have ever done. With no-one to tell me a take was finished I would often career down a rabbit hole. But these seeming cul-de-sacs led to musical discoveries that I would’ve never made working with others. Ultimately, on a personal level, I did it just to see if I could.”

Sophomore album ‘Mantis’ arrives Friday 6th June 2025 via Dance To The Radio.

Tommy’s previous works have amassed over 30 million streams across Spotify and seen him tour with the likes of Skinny Living, Banners, Tom Speight, Turin Brakes, Luke Sital-Singh, Jamie Lawson, and Nina Nesbitt as well as receiving continued support across Spotify Editorial mood playlists, and a multitude of synchs at mainstream media including Grey’s Anatomy, Atypical (Netflix), Love Island, The Innocents (Netflix), Found (NBC) and across various placements on advertising and film.