Tom Allan & The Strangest - TAATS (2022)

'TAATS' was written during the pandemic over a period of almost two years. The band composed a total of 25 songs, 13 of which made it onto the album. The new album of the German-British-Mexican band was produced at Maarweg2 studio in Cologne, where bands like Mando Diao or Jupiter Jones have already recorded. Within 17 days and nights, Tom Allan & The Strangest recorded the full album, which skilfully bridges the gap between Manic Street Preachers, Libertines, IDLES and Fontaines D.C.. "We went much further out on a limb musically than usual with this album. Allowed other influences to come in, totally delved in and let loose, sort of created an album out of the indie hooklines of the past that still clearly shows our background but is more mature and above all honest" says Tom Allan about TAATS. "It was good to use the concert-free time to let the songs mature and take the time to work on them. There was a lot of experimentation with new sounds and we had a lot of fun not trying to find a single sound for the album, but letting each song stand on its own." Lyrically, the trio has also evolved, with the album opener Unimpressed & Unaroused dealing with the process of growing old together as a band: "am I wise enough to know / when it's time for me to go and leave the field". Likewise in the second single 17 Days: "coming back for sequels / is this our line? / is this what we're supposed to do? / not more to offer / than who we are / and hoping there's no pleasing you". For the video shoot of Unimpressed & Unaroused, Tom Allan and Evan Beltran flew to Wales in May 2022: "In Wales, everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. It only rained (what did we expect?!). We were therefore unable to visit any locations. The old Ford Capri, which we had hired and planned in the script, wouldn't start. The next day, after we had found a cool location in the middle of nowhere in the mountains of North Wales, our director Alex fell into a small stream, was soaking wet and lost his shoes. The only way to film in the mountains without shoes was from the boot. To top it off, two school buses stopped next to us just before filming began and 30 teenagers went on a field trip at our location. What could possibly go wrong?! Maybe that explains the one take, the wet hair and the slightly fucked up looks. But somehow it fits the song" says Tom. TAATS was mixed by Wolfgang Stach (Vierkanttretlager, among others) in Cologne. Unnoticed and Gather Your Senses were mixed by Adrian Hall & Rob Mcvey, who have already worked with artists like Portishead. Tom Meyer from Master and Servant is responsible for the mastering. TAATS shows a band that, with all due respect for the history of rock'n'roll, has gone its own way, that has searched and found, that has set itself new standards in songwriting and performance. Standards that they effortlessly live up to. And standards that countless bands will have to measure themselves against in the future.