Science Fiction

27 years after the release of the Thompson Twins’ eighth and final album ‘Queer’, founder member and front man Tom Bailey releases his debut solo album ‘Science Fiction’.

Tom’s post-Thompson Twins career has seen him work in several different genres, from the experimental electronic music of Babble and Kolab, to the Indo-fusion of the Holiwater Band, the visual astronomy project BSP and the sound-system dub of International Observer. Playing the Thompson Twins’ hits live for the past few years led Tom to reassess the group’s music, paving the way for ‘Science Fiction’.

“I so much enjoyed playing concerts around the world over the last couple of years, that I began working behind the scenes on writing, recording and mixing the songs in this collection. I have concentrated on other areas of music for the past couple of decades – but I find it incredibly rewarding to be making pop music again. There’s something so special about the way this kind of music works and, for me, it’s like finding a long-lost friend.”

As a result, Tom has hand-crafted 10 songs that are instantly accessible not only to fans of classic Thompson Twins but also to a new generation who have been alerted to his quintessential sound and style after hip-hop producer Metro Boomin’ remixed ‘Hold Me Now’ for GAP’s SZA-starring commercial that debuted at this year’s Grammy Awards.

While the Thompson Twins may have recorded in some of the world’s most famous recordings studios, from Sarm West in Notting Hill to Compass Point in the Bahamas, nowadays Tom is free to record and write wherever and whenever inspiration strikes. “I recorded Science Fiction all over,” he explains, “France, New Zealand, London... These days, my studio is a laptop and a pair of headphones! I'm a real wanderer. I don't stay in one place for very long”.