T Truman, the solo project and alter ego of the Vaccines’ keyboardist Timothy Lanham, today releases his new single “Entertainer” alongside a live performance clip shot by Caleb Ware at Mapleton Community Hall on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. “Entertainer” is the latest taste of T Truman’s upcoming second EP ‘Luxury Star’, out 10th March.
Balancing the allure of nostalgia with the zest of modern pop-songwriting, “Entertainer” elevates things once again; Truman’s bustling piano-led indie-rock anchored by his lush vocal, lyrically putting the microscope on the forced-creativity of him and his contemporaries: “I hold a pose like I’m the Mona Lisa and I’m sure my back’s to the wall / I’m cornered like a wild animal”.
Commenting on the new track, T Truman said: “Entertainer is an honest commentary on creative trials when the pressure to stand out confuses the goal of making meaningful art. Sometimes your own projections get in the way of useful work ethic and it’s not any easy place to get out of… ‘cornered like a wild animal’ was a lyric that although somewhat exaggerative sums up the feeling accurately.”
T Truman pays homage to the past as much as he looks forward to the future. With sonic references to 70’s piano-pop artists such as Todd Rundgren and Elton John, there’s a distinct nostalgic feeling, but one that confidently steps forward with a clear modern approach, aligning with artists such as Rex Orange County, Father John Misty, Brad Stank and Matt Maltese.
New EP ‘Luxury Star’ is released 10th March, following previous tasters “Vanity Jones” and “Isabelle”. Discussing the new EP, Truman said: “Retrospectively I think a lot of this new EP’s underlying lyrical meaning is about a search for creative purpose, and perhaps the fear of what it means if you can’t find it… also a lot about the constant obsession with keeping in vogue, though I couldn’t help but layer all this with silly made up characters who I’d probably never want to meet.”
T Truman’s new single “Entertainer” is out now. T Truman’s new EP ‘Luxury Star’ will be released 10th March followed by a headline show at London’s Laylow on 24th March.
