If Misch seems surprised, it’s because his fanbase has developed naturally. He never set out with any grand plan when he began making beats, and uploading roughly three tracks a week to Soundcloud at 16. “ I prefer a more organic approach to making music, but also to building a fanbase,” he reflects. “I don’t want a big push on my music as I don’t want to be as big as possible.” And yet, he’s rapidly become one of the U.K.’s most exciting emerging new artists, gaining 1.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify and playing a sold-out tour of the U.K., U.S. and Europe in 2016. Collaborating with a clutch of fellow trailblazers like Novelist, Loyle Carner, and Zak Abel, he’s accumulated a total of 75 million streams across all platforms to date — and it all started in his bedroom.
Misch’s earliest introduction to music came via his artistic family, including his psychiatrist father, a passionate violinist, who would take him to concerts and the opera as a child. He sang in a choir at school, and picked up the violin himself at the age of four. When one of his older sisters took up guitar and later abandoned it, nine-year-old Misch inherited the instrument, and taught himself to play Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Nirvana songs. Today, he also plays bass, banjo, and a smattering of keys.
It was one of his sister’s boyfriends who introduced him to the music of J Dilla at 15, and from then on, Misch was hooked. He took up Music Technology at school the following year, and began learning how to create his own “really chilled out, boom-bap kind of ‘90s hip-hop” on Logic Pro. “When I wasn’t at school, I’d be making beats,” he says. “It was just what I did.” As he began sharing his tunes on Soundcloud, he found the response was overwhelming. “You put songs out and you build a fanbase — it’s kind of addictive.”
A collaboration with his sister Laura, on the jazz-inflected “Follow,” was a major turning point for both siblings after it was uploaded to influencer YouTube channel Majestic Casual. The track features Laura on sax and Tom on beats and vocals, intertwined to mesmeric effect. “That was the point where I was like, okay, maybe I could do this as a career,” Misch reflects. “Suddenly it had 100,000 plays.” Shortly afterward, Soulection co-founder Joe Kay commented on one of Misch’s productions on Soundcloud, asking the teenage prodigy to guest on his radio show.
Soon afterward, in 2014, Misch contributed to Soulection’s White Label series, weaving together obscure jazz samples, guitar, and vocals to create the perfect summer listen (including the dreamy fan favourite “The Journey”). His Beat Tape series collected the best of his hip-hop instrumentals, the 5 Day Mischon project featured collaborations with grime MC Novelist and singer-songwriter Zak Abel, and his 2016 Reverie EP brought the official release of Misch’s most sophisticated songs to date. As well as soulful singers Carmody and Jordan Rakei, he struck up a collaborative relationship with fellow south Londoner Loyle Carner, whose mellow bars flow over Misch’s productions like a breeze on a hot day. Both artists form part of the much-hyped scene of singer-songwriters emerging from south east London, including King Krule and Cosmo Pyke. Each has a DIY mindset and a brooding, poetic approach to lyricism that weaves them loosely together. “There’s definitely a certain sound,” reflects Misch. “Everyone’s music in south London is really chilled. It reflects the vibe of this part of London — it’s laid back.”
Misch has lived in south London all his life, and he loves it so much that his new single, “South of the River,” is dedicated to it. “I much prefer the general vibe of south London,” he says. “I love this area, Peckham, Dulwich, Forest Hill. Singing that line — You should come south of the river — it just felt really good.” With its string arrangements mirroring disco synth stabs and a funky bassline, it’s an irresistible bop that nods clearly to Misch’s danceable new direction.
One of the biggest influences on Misch’s sound has long been jazz. With a degree in jazz guitar, Misch is an avid listener of Robert Glasper, Roy Hargrove, Cory Henry, and jazz-influenced songwriters like D’Angelo and Erykah Badu. “It’s kind of a warm feeling, when you hear a certain chord progression,” he explains.
In the making of his debut album, he’s also been drawing on inspiration from disco, house, and techno, discovered through the portal of producers like Kaytranada and Motor City Drum Ensemble. The euphoric feel of 1970s and ‘80s disco (think Earth Wind and Fire or Gwen McCrae), and the thump of nightclubs like Fabric or Corsica, inspired him to bring more movement into his songs. “I want people to dance at my live shows, I want to bring more energy,” he says. “When you’re in a club and you can feel the bass...I want people to have that experience.”
Misch’s sound is true to its roots — he still makes his tracks in the same bedroom studio in his parents’ house, and his mum produces his artwork. (“ Her work is very DIY, just like my music, and feels homespun,” he explains.) But he’s never afraid to explore new territory. “I think it’s really important to make music that hasn’t been made before,” he says. “I’m trying to work out what my sound is, and pursuing that.” Fans might think they know his style, but Misch is a restless experimentalist, keen to spend endless hours honing his craft. One of his favorite new songs is a “Brazilian-sounding” jam that reflects how deeply he feels about his work. As he puts it: “It’s about how you can’t take away my love for music. I’ll always have that.”
Colours Of Freedom
Tom Misch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your image looks me down and I'm blind
No matter how far I move away
I find myself coming back everyday
Oh, just let me go
Oh, just let me go
Oh, just let me go
Oh, just let me go
I know I shouldn't stay, you do have your ways
With me
But I want to see the colours of freedom
From you Maybe time be my friend
As i try to break from this trend
Maybe its harder than it sounds
Maybe my heart still pounds
Oh, just let me go
Oh, just let me go
Oh just let me go
Oh, just let me go
I know I shouldn't stay, you do have your ways
With me
But I want to see the colours of freedom
From you
From you
The song "Colours of Freedom" by Tom Misch & Bearcubs is a poignant reflection on the difficulties associated with moving on from a past relationship. The lyrics are filled with intense emotion, as the singer struggles to break away from the hold that his former lover has over him. He begins by describing how he is "walking around in [his] mind", completely consumed by thoughts of this person, and how despite his best efforts to move on, he finds himself constantly drawn back towards them.
The chorus of the song is a desperate plea for release: "Oh, just let me go", he repeats, as though he is begging his ex to release him from the emotional captivity he finds himself in. Despite acknowledging that he "shouldn't stay" and that his ex has a way of getting to him, he still longs to experience "the colours of freedom" that he believes exist outside of this relationship. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, as though the singer is still trapped in this cycle of longing and despair.
Overall, "Colours of Freedom" is a powerful and relatable song that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and the struggle to move on. Its lyrics are filled with emotion and depth, and its melody and instrumentation perfectly capture the mood of the lyrics, with a haunting, melancholic feel that lingers long after the song has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm walking around in my mind
I am deep in thought and my mind is wandering.
Your image looks me down and I'm blind
Your image haunts me and is so powerful that it blinds me to everything else.
No matter how far I move away
Even if I try to distance myself, I cannot escape your hold on me.
I find myself coming back everyday
Despite my efforts, I still come back to you every day.
Oh, just let me go
I wish you would release me from your grip.
I know I shouldn't stay, you do have your ways with me
I am aware that I should not stay, but you have a certain power over me that makes it hard to leave.
But I want to see the colours of freedom
I am longing to experience the feeling of freedom.
From you Maybe time be my friend as i try to break from this trend
Perhaps time will help me break away from this pattern of being tied to you.
Maybe its harder than it sounds
It is difficult to move on from you despite how simple it may seem.
Maybe my heart still pounds
Perhaps my heart still beats for you.
Oh, just let me go
I am pleading for you to let me go.
From you
I want to experience the colors of freedom from your hold on me.
Writer(s): THOMAS ABRAHAM MISCH, JACK ROBERT RITCHIE
Contributed by Evan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
游子毅
[Verse 1]
Well I'm walking around in my mind
Your image knocks me down and I'm blind
No matter how far I move away
I find myself coming back everyday
[Bridge]
Oh, just let me go
Oh, just let me go
Oh, just let me go
Oh, just let me go
I know I shouldn't stay, you do have your ways
with me
But I want to see the colours of freedom
[Chorus]
From you (Repeated)
[Verse 2]
Maybe time be my friend
as I try to break from this trend
Maybe its harder than it sounds
Maybe my heart still pounds
[Bridge]
Oh, just let me go
Oh, just let me go
Oh just let me go
Oh, just let me go
I know I shouldn't stay, you do have your ways
with me
But I want to see the colours of freedom
From You
[Chorus]
From you (Repeated)
C. Gamba
The beat and keys of a house track, vocals of soul, the bass of funk, guitar of jazz, and a Colour of freedom.
Chidambar Stef
Chris Gamba oh yeah..
Nick Russell
Never put better
Rhys Drain-Langston
I found out about this guy through my mom's music playlist!
Tomiproy8
@Chidambar Stef huh
Astrophile _07
Quote
karma
this song helps me escape my depression... even if it's just till its over. it's wonderful
Alejandro Herrera
this song doesn't need anything else , it has everything what one person needs to hear
Ariel estilista
agreed with you , beats + voice + guitar + chords
Omi
Seriously man this guy has such an amazing talent it just makes you go crazy with that chords game. Music like never heard before. Just awesome.