An exhilarating outpouring of love, joy, connection, and raw gratitude, Tom Speight’s ‘Everything’s Waiting for You’ is a radiant folk pop revelry: A sweet celebration of life’s beauty and wonder from someone who’s seen so much of it stripped away firsthand.
Stream: “Everything’s Waiting for You” – Tom Speight
Do you ever stop and smile, simply because you’re alive? A sweetly stirring celebration of life’s beauty and wonder from someone who’s seen so much of it stripped away firsthand, Tom Speight’s sophomore album is sure to put a smile on the faces of all who listen. An exhilarating outpouring of love, joy, connection, and raw gratitude, Everything’s Waiting for You is a radiant folk pop revelry. It’s a resounding reminder of how good it is to feel life around us: To see, hear, touch, smell, and taste the world, and soak up all it has to offer us each and every day.
As dark as the night or clear as day
Nothing’s gonna get in my way from loving you
Even if it’s hard to
Thinking back to younger ways
Summertime in all its haze, I’ve got your back
There’s no need to doubt that
Everything’s waiting for you
I’ll be by your side
If you feel like running or you’re too tired to fight
Everything’s waiting for you
Just cast your eyes
Beyond the fear, there’s a world out there for you
Everything’s waiting for you
Released on September 24, 2021 via Nettwerk Music Group, Everything’s Waiting for You is an inspiring album glowing with deep warmth and a bright, sentimental energy. Co-produced by Rich Turvey (Blossoms), Tom Speight’s heartfelt sophomore LP picks up where his first one left off, embracing all that life has to offer through irresistibly charming melodies, moving instrumentals, and expressive lyrics that yearn for a greater kind of meaningful connection.
Speight has been a regular face and “artist to watch” on Atwood Magazine since 2018; in featuring his 2019 debut album Collide, we praised the artist’s way of leaning into sweet harmonies and basking in a radiant wash of acoustic and electric guitars, not to mention his personal and intimate lyricism: “Inspired by loss, illness, hope, and love, Collide is the engaging, emotional debut record Tom Speight was always meant to make… It’s a testament to his songwriting talent that Speight manages to make old emotions feel new again.”
“In 2019, I was touring my debut album Collide – I played around 100 shows in 22 countries,” Speight tells Atwood Magazine. “Before this period I had been battling with Crohn’s disease which resulted being in hospital for two months, and then I was thrown into a very busy tour schedule. I came out of hospital feeling very grateful to be alive and having the privilege to call something I love my job. So, when it came to writing the album, it was very clear I wanted to write about this! That’s why there isn’t a break up song on the record.. It is instead fueled with songs about taking on the world, seeing the world, and being in the present.”
Everything’s Waiting for You follows summer 2020’s Sunset Sound EP (a record “capturing themes of America, connection, hope, and perseverance“), finding Speight taking his charismatic signature folk pop sound to soaring, anthemic new heights.
“I felt more confident about my music,” he says of this record cycle. “I feel Collide was me finding my feet as a singer/songwriter and discovering what works and what doesn’t. I feel like Everything’s Waiting for You is from the same artist but, just a more confident one – trying to expand my sonic palette. I think if you’re a fan of my previous album, you’ll like this one – [especially] for tracks like ‘You’, ‘See You Soon’, ‘Dive,’ and ‘Shine with Me.’ I think it will also showcase me to a wider fanbase with songs like ‘Soak Up’!”
From start to finish, Everything’s Waiting For You sees substance wrapped in sun-kissed songwriting. Speight first previewed his album this past January with its uplifting title track and opener, “Everything’s Waiting for You.” In premiering the song, Atwood Magazine praised it as a “rush of love, inspiration, and inner strength… an invigorating and perfectly-timed release.” Speight’s performance is immediate and personal, and yet the song has a timelessness to it brought on by universal feelings and sentiments to which all can relate:
As heavy as the heart that walks with me
Nothing’s ever gonna change, you’ll see
The way I feel, it’s, oh, so real
Everything’s waiting for you
I’ll be by your side
If you feel like running or you’re too tired to fight
Everything’s waiting for you
Just cast your eyes
Beyond the fear, there’s a world out there for you
Love, I hope you know
I’ll never let you go
You have my word, you know
I’ll never let you go
“I wanted to release that first because it felt like the right time with everything going on,” Speight says. “I personally wanted to hear something positive and hopeful. Also I just believe it’s got something special as a song – plus it summed up the message of the album.”
From start to finish, Everything’s Waiting for You invigorates and energizes, lighting an intimate spark within. Urgent, driving, and cinematic songs like “Let the River Run,” “Soak Up,” and “Feel the Night” (“With the moon I run shooting from the sun, straight into your arms – we’re forever young”) are interspersed amongst softer, more nuanced and exceptionally expressive tunes like “Dive,” “Strange Days,” and “See You Soon.” Throughout it all, Speight wears his heart on his sleeve for all to hear, see, and feel.
“My personal favourite is ‘See You Soon’ because it feels timeless and I know I’ll be playing it at every show because it feels special to me,” Speight reflects. Lyrically, he adds, “‘Let the river run through and take me away’ sums up the record for me.”‘
There’s something special about hearing someone else sing about how good it is to be alive. All too often we get caught up in the minutiae of our everyday – the fleeting, but present obstacles that bog us down and keep us from being happy in the moment. Everything’s Waiting for You is a radiant reminder to look up; to slip out of cruise control and bask in the real, tangible, and intangible beauty of life. Words cannot do justice for the true gift this album gives to all who tune in.
“I just want them to feel slightly more hopeful and just enjoy it!” Speight shares. “Music can mean so many different things to people… I just hope they take something from it. Personally, I’m super proud and feel blessed to make another record at the worlds best studios with some of UK’s finest musicians.” Experience the full record via our below stream, and peek inside Tom Speight’s Everything’s Waiting for You with Atwood Magazine as he goes track-by-track through the music and lyrics of his sophomore LP!
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Stream: ‘Everything’s Waiting for You’ – Tom Speight
:: Inside Everything’s Waiting for You ::
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Everything’s Waiting For You
Co-produced by Rich Turvey (Blossoms) and I in Rak Studios in August. This was a huge song for the album because it defined what the message is of the album in one song . I wrote it on my own the week before lockdown hit in the UK unaware what the future would hold.. it’s about taking on the world with your loved ones and not looking back.
Let The River Run
This track was written the day after my birthday. A reflective look at previous relationships and looking forward with a positive mindset. It has a similar message to ’Stay Alive’ about wanting to live life to the full and make the most of this beautiful world.
Dive
‘Dive’ is the closest thing to my debut album . It was one of those songs that fell out of sky before I knew it..it was done & dusted within 30 minutes. I’m not quite sure what it’s about because I didn’t want to overthink it but I feel like it stems from childhood and being an outsider. Produced by Chris Bond (Ben Howard) he delivers his trademark sound of mixing acoustic sounds with a haunting instrumental backdrop.
Strange Days
’Strange Days’ is the only post break up song on the album. It’s written about the reflection of a relationship ending and the weird feeling of the aftermath of a relationship. It features Steve Cradock (Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene) on guitar and has a strong hip hop backbeat as I tell a story of the early days of a break up.
Soak Up
Co-written & Co-produced with Rich Turvey (Blossoms) ’Soak Up’ is written about my struggles with dealing with Crohn’s disease and finding someone who can also cope with the disease..Sometimes, having a chronic disease is just as hard for your loved ones to deal with. ’Soak Up’ is my way of saying to my loved ones that I will do anything for them and I hope they can return the love.
Feel The Night
This track was the last track to be written for the album. It feels like the sister track of ‘Everything’s Waiting for You’ recorded in RAK again and co-produced by Rich Turvey & me. I wrote this on my own in less than an hour…It was inspired by the Killers track ‘When You Were Young’ I felt like my youth was slowly slipping away and mentally living less in the present and focusing more & more on the future plus getting anxious over things I didn’t have any control over. The sentiment of the song is ‘to live in the moment’ and ‘FEEL THE NIGHT’
See You Soon
’See You Soon’ is a song written for one of my best friends who lost her mum ,I was extremely close to her mum too. I wanted to say to my friend that her mum was always watching over her and will always be with her. It’s the most stripped back and one of the most personal songs on the album.
You
I wrote this song in a park in Soho while waiting for a radio show to start..It was very instant and came to me naturally. I think it’s loosely based on parenthood after speaking to my best friend who said to me about his child ‘I can’t take my eyes off you’. Van Morrison & John Mayer was a big influence on the track. I love the acoustic smooth vibes they deliver on their love songs.
Hymn For Her
‘Hymn For Her’ was written during lockdown in a response to the death of George Floyd. I wanted the song to be a declaration of love and how I wanted to act as a human..hence the lyrics ‘I want to live in a world where be kind’. I produced & recorded it at Abbey Road in August. The production was inspired by Billie Eiliish & Imogen Heap I watched several YouTube videos taking production tips on how to create a similar sonic palette.
Shine with Me
’Shine With Me’ is a song for my girlfriend who suffers from depression and anxiety. It has a very simple message of saying everything is going to be alright…just..shine with me. I always knew I wanted it to end the album due to it’s free & positive feeling it gave me after hearing the final masters. The beach sounds were recorded on our first holiday and holds some personal memories that make the record instantly feel personal & warm to me.
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