total tommy will perform songs from her debut album Bruises, as well as some unreleased material, on tour with Blondshell.
Less than two years after debuting with the single Microdose, total tommy has released a full-length album, played several major Australian headline shows, and completed a tour of the UK and Europe. total tommy – the solo vehicle of Sydney-based songwriter Jess Holt – will kick off 2026 with an east coast tour supporting US musician Blondshell.
The project’s debut album, Bruises, came out at the end of 2024. Holt recently travelled to London to record total tommy’s second album.
“I’d written it all last year, towards the middle of the year, and then I went and recorded it late last year,” says Holt.“And it’s fun. It’s really fun.”
The Blondshell tour comes to Max Watt’s on 7 February. Holt will be performing with the same three-piece band that has accompanied her through all her touring over the last couple of years. Playing dozens of shows with an energetic live band had an influence on Holt’s songwriting for the new record.
total tommy
- WHEN: 7 FEB
- WHERE: MAX WATT’S SUPPORTING BLONDSHELL
- Tickets: here
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“It’s a rock band when we play live, and it sort of pushed my songwriting a lot more into the rock world,” Holt says. “The next album definitely feels like it sits in that space. I hate to commit to a genre ever, but I think it’s that.”
In an NME interview published in September 2024, Holt spoke about how the total tommy project harkened back to her formative influences, bands such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Strokes. “Maybe that’s not cool, or it’s not what people are listening to now,” Holt said.
Two years after the release of Microdose, a revival of noughties indie rock is in full swing. “Big time,” says Holt. “Oversaturated, some might say.”
But despite this, Holt’s still not too concerned about that which is or isn’t in fashion.
“Honestly, I just kind of do what feels good to me,”
she says. “And hopefully, if it feels good to me, it will feel good to some other people.”
The songs on Bruises reflected on a major period of transition and self-discovery for Holt, which involved moving from Melbourne to Sydney, coming out, and connecting with a whole new community.
Her songwriting remains personal in nature, but her thematic focus has shifted somewhat.
“Bruises was all of the things that, when you start to grow up, you realise, and then this one is more like, ‘This is me now, and these are the mistakes I still make, but I’m conscious of them now.’ It’s really introspective.”
Bruises found an audience of admirers across the globe. The album received a 4.5 star review in DIY magazine, and total tommy performed shows with Soccer Mommy and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers and appeared at festivals such as The Great Escape and Yours and Owls.
Holt was particularly moved by how her audience embraced the album in its entirety.
“I think it was really nice that people listened as an album. It really meant a lot to me rather than just people knowing the singles,” she says. “A lot of people come up after shows being like, ‘I love the album,’and that’s what I want. I want people to love the album, not just the individual singles.”
total tommy’s latest single, Butterknife, came out last May, just in time for the European tour. The plan is to get back to Europe, where funding permits.
“Luckily, last year we got a grant to do our tour,” Holt says. “I’m so thankful because it’s just not possible otherwise. But yeah, I definitely loved the crowds over there. A highlight was playing this show in Belgium in a city called Kortrijk, and I think I sold more tickets there than in some cities in Australia.”
In the meantime, Holt is looking forward to the east coast tour with Blondshell. Fans can expect to get a preview of some songs from the forthcoming record.
“I’m such a fan of her music as well,” Holt says. “So that was super nice to be asked and also really good timing because I’ve had a couple of months off shows to just finish the album, and now I’m ready to play.
“These shows are a really nice kind of reintroduction and a chance to play some new songs. It’s a really nice opportunity to test the ones that I think could be the singles or could be the fan faves.”
Read more of Beat issue 1737 here.
