The Big Scary songwriter’s fourth solo album, Every Little Fire, was born of fire, and yet was a slow burn to finish.
Tom Iansek has experienced a lot over the past few years. He’s now a real #1 Dad with two young children, and he and his family have moved from Melbourne to London. His peers are settling into comfortable stability, and he’s chosen an intense adventure he describes as “wonderful and scary at the same time.”
Tom’s first album as #1 Dads since 2020, Every Little Fire, took shape amid this upheaval. “Something that destroys but makes room for something else, like new growth. There’s a destruction and renewal process in there,” he explains the meaning behind the album title. “It’s not one big, giant, calamitous event; it’s lots of little events.”
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Songwriting helps Tom process and reflect on where he currently is in his life, which he professes is subconscious. On this latest #1 Dads excursion, he explores carving out structure while facing the unknown. The brisk opening track, Evaluation Period, immediately addresses this, where Tom, while cleverly name-dropping the album title, assures himself he’s resistant to every little fire.
His solo output has always been a gentler, more personal companion than Big Scary’s poppier music. But Tom’s emotional honesty radiates brighter than ever as he searches for hope in chaotic change.
These major shifts drove Tom to write quickly, adding fuel to the fire to keep his initial impulse from burning out. But as months turned into years, the new material became a place of solace. Working to promotional schedules was ineffective; he had to take his time.
“Sometimes things taking a while can be part of the process. You live your life; you grow and change. Sometimes I think songs need that. That’s part of the process leading you,” Tom says. “Life kept demanding other things, and I couldn’t get to [the album] for whatever reason. Chilling out and relaxing into it was part of the creative process and album’s evolution as much as anything.”
Tom’s astute observations are grounded in reality, given his frequent collaboration with other artists. He offers another two cents on returning to material after a long time: “The danger is that you can outgrow the songs. You start them, but then you grow so much that they no longer hold any meaning to you. There’s a balance in there somewhere.” Evidently, Tom has struck a balance by seeing his songs through.
Living in London also has its challenges, like the cost of living and the premium on physical space. Tom wrote most of Every Little Fire in a makeshift “studio” that was just his bedroom, and in smaller studios to track other instruments. The way Londoners treated creative space was eye-opening.
“It’s important to be reminded that it’s not just about adding and adding. It’s also about refining and homing in on what you really love, pushing the unused things to the side,” Tom says. “It’s becoming more concise in your art form and professional process.”
Tom’s “less is more” philosophy particularly influenced the new wave cruiser Nothing Less, built around a Juno-106 riff he kept from the demo. He recalls trying different drum beats and solo synths, but neither had the magic of the first take despite its mistakes.
“It was a process of leaving no stone unturned. I still made every effort to bring it together, redoing the sounds in a proper recording environment, because generally you’ll get more life or clarity,” Tom explains. “You can’t have hard and fast rules. You just have to go where the song calls you to go.”
This hard work has led to Tom’s first #1 Dads Australia tour in six years, and for the first time, he’ll perform solo under the alias at smaller venues. He’s road-tested the format in the UK, so his nerves are already quelled.
Tom shares his excitement: “You’re more up close and personal with people. You go and meet people after shows, and I get to go to all these little towns and cool spots that I couldn’t really get to with a band.”
A little faith goes a long way, and the return of #1 Dads proves that sentiment is true.
#1 Dads is playing at the Brunswick Ballroom on 19 and 21 November. Tickets are on sale now.
