The ChemBase

Well it's Friday in Europe so the album is officially out. Some thoughts on each track.

1) Please:
daft wonky-vocaled 30 second intro. Meh.

2) Come Closer:
I think I previously suggested there was a celtic Enya type influence in the vocal, and since then I see that Aurora has mentioned that she had lots of Enya in her phone, so maybe I was right! And yes it still sounds like I Break Horses too. This track sucks me in and makes me feel cocooned or enveloped inside somethng new and intriguing. It's also a little bit scandanavian. This is the true start to the album. "Please" wasn't needed.

3) A Boy Like You:
Deceptive rising intro. Then it's quirky "Chems" like A Taste of Honey (the groove) or Fountains. A sort of slow-but-sexy kinda thing. I think Aurora's vocal has been pitched down, so it doesn't really sound like Aurora at all. Gnarly synths underneath add some grit. Playful; may be a grower.

4) Ring The Alarm:
The one we thought was new Chems from their DJ sets. It's perhaps a bit too sweet to be a classic Chems track, but it's a fun little slice of hyper dance-pop.

5) My Baby:
The opening lyrics surely inspired by Nina Simone's "My Baby Just Cares For Me". I'm sure Tom knows that one, even if Aurora's music library might have its limits (according to her own interviews).
A deep almost dubstep-y bass hum on this one. It skips along, quietly melodic almost like a quieter, pop-y moment from a New Skool Breaks or a Magnetic Man album.
If that is an IBIA sample, it's a small one - a sort or backmasked clap or percussion noise. Good to see @ThePumisher keeping his ears open, but don't get excited for a big Chems hit.

6) Have You Seen Me Dance Alone?
What in the Ace Of Bass is this? Psuedo reggae? Digital Dancehall with a white pop vocal?
Eurovsion goes to Jamaica?
All That She Wants Is Another Baby. Sort of.
Quirky.

7) Somewhere Else:
The "da da da" bits get a bit annoying after a while TBQHWY.
I do like the bass on this one - especially in the final minute. It's ok but not as amazing as I hoped for when we first heard a clip from Tom's Glasto '25 DJ set.

8/ I Drink The Light
The opening arpeggio looping and cascading reminds me of Sabres' "Chapel Street Market 9am".
The bass coming in under the first verse is perfect. Then the drop or full 'kick off' at 1:14 -perfect.
The repeated "wanted to feel" vocal at 2:14 goes on too long for me. And alas, the album version never takes off like the live version.
Where's all the skittering playfulness we heard in that Manchester live recording? The album version feels empty and boring in comparison. There was a bit in the live version that reminded me of S2A, but not here. It's still a cool, propulsive groove thing, but the live version is better.

9) Wavelenghts
Almost feels like an Alison Krauss folk/americana song to start off with. Then it gets more whimsical. Aurora sings "sail away" and I wonder if that Enya influence is coming into play (Orinoco Flow famously has "sail away, sail away" lyrics). It's fine but I've forgotten it already.
BTW: Why have they deliberately mis-spelled the title?

10) Side By Side
A slow-ish one. It's pop with a hint of Lana del Rey and country and Kate Bush maybe?

11) The Thing
It still sounds like Massive Attack meets Sigur Ros, and it's still pretty darn good.

12) In A Minute
Bonkers vocal editing. Japanese style dance pop meets uh...I dunno. It's kinda playful and frantic and fast, and I have no idea how to truly convey the sound of this one to someone who hasn't heard it. But it seems fun.
EDIT: How about: Tom wanted to make a Tomora Battle Weapon, so he did and he got Aurora to do some repetitive vocals telling us "Don't you forget about it".

And that's it. Aurora and Tom let loose and have fun. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Will it fully satisfy Aurora fans or Chems fans? I doubt it, but there is some fun to be had here. Yes, I've said 'fun' a lot.

PS The Irish Times review of the album also mentions Aurora praising Enya in a previous interview. You can read it here (https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/review/2026/04/10/tomora-come-closer-review-mesmerising-melding-of-minds-between-tom-rowlands-and-aurora/) or here (https://exystence.net/blog/2026/04/16/tomora-come-closer-2026/#more-325086)

It's a pretty remarkable project album debut.

I've been holding back and wanting to express my doubts about this project, but a lot of that has washed away with now listening to the album in full.

What were my gripes/worries you ask?

Of the material that was released before the album drop, The Thing, Come Closer, and Somewhere Else, all sounded VERY much like work of other artists who we strongly compared to (Massive Attack, Enya, etc.). It almost felt like they subconsciously formulated the songs with maybe not taking a hard look at what the results would be, and kinda ignored the thoughts of what a seasoned music listener might say about it. It happens on release of the album too, with A Boy Like You. The Knife/Fever Ray, anyone?

They are all very good sounding tracks. It's just a bit difficult to understand why I should think these tracks are more worthy to listen to over the artists who most likely influenced them.

It almost sounded like Tomora was a vessel to hit on Aurora's favorite influences with an electronic motif. Which maybe it still ultimately is.

I should have never doubted though, there is an obvious cure-all from a dialed-in Tom Rowlands. The album clearly shows there is a lot left in the tank from our musical overlord. If some of this pent up creativity was hiding behind Chemical doors, and it was only to be unlocked by a viking pixie named (Aur)ora, well gah-damn! Thanks, Ora!

So, what do I like? I think the better material on this album is everything that wasn't released before yesterday.

Top favorites upon first listen:

• My Baby
• Have You Seen Me Dance Alone
• I Drink the Light
• The Thing (wasn't my first listen)
• In a Minute

I think it's a wonderful entry point album for people that are new to electronic music. It covers a lot of styles and textures, and feels a lot more realized experience than your average EDM artist will put together. I'm counting on Aurora fans to be relatively pleased, (Aur)ora nails it throughout.


In the spirt of Coachella season and David Bryne also being present at the festival... has anyone in Tomora management attempted to bring this project to his attention? I feel like he would greatly enjoy this, and maybe even like to watch their upcoming performance on Sunday.


PS. When do we get a tweaking Yam emoji for the forum?

Seems like there's a video for almost each track now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USRRfjEy0oA&list=OLAK5uy_mM6C5o30CnMNwhu2QeG9I4MsclvhTqL54&index=9

It's this "visualiser" thing, I wouldn't call that music videos. Since so many people are using YouTube to listen to music, bands have started to upload these so that it isn't just the album cover in the video. 

Ha, I deceived myself. Should have skipped through before posting.

I should have the Japanese version of the album later today. Will report back on the bonus track and my full view of the album.

Well hello there
PXL_20260417_103151575.jpg

The album is fantastic!

Quote from: Stefan on Apr 17, 2026, 13:43

Well hello there
PXL_20260417_103151575.jpg

That photo is fantastic!  :clap

Quote from: Stefan on Apr 17, 2026, 13:43

Well hello there

I hope they didn't scratch your CD with their little lego hands.

---

Can someone explain this yam business? Please and thank you.

Quote from: Wolkenkrabber on Apr 17, 2026, 21:51

Can someone explain this yam business? Please and thank you.

Here's another one wanting to know.

Yam, from what I have gathered, is Tom's studio cat.

Tweaked out Yam has a lot of meme potential.

#makecaturdaygreatagain

Yam and keyboard cat the new side project after Tomora

OMG, request fulfilled! Check out the emojis!

:tcat

we are so blessed to whomever was responsible for that. What a way to kick-off Caturday and album release weekend!

Quote from: Bosco on Apr 17, 2026, 22:42

Yam, from what I have gathered, is Tom's studio cat.

Yes, exactly, she's Tom's cat.  :tcat
Featured in this video, for instance.
 SPOILER_Shazam_-_Music_Discovery_Charts_Song_Lyrics.mp4

So this arrived yesterday at my parents:



Sorry, had no George & Mildred i could use as a stand.

Sadly it also arrived with this:

MSW_5896.JPG

If any of you bought this on vinyl, is your booklet also glued into the sleeve?

Plus a kitten killer (hopefully it's not Studio Cat...), but have any you seen these behind the scenes pics?


The first three are def. from RAR Studios, the last one i'm not sure - maybe from Auroras home studio?

This album is simply my cup of tea. I've been obsessed with Aurora's voice ever since I first heard of her on NG. This collaboration is exactly what I need in 2026. RTA is one my fav songs of the decade so far. Other highlights are I Drink The Light, In a Minute, My Baby, and Side by Side. A Boy Like You and Have You Seen Me Dance Alone are delightful surprises, the former being the sexiest I've ever heard either. In Chems tradition, there is a lot of diversity in mood, but in the end, it still presents a very specific identity and continuity. The album absolutely flies by. 

The only song I don't love is Somewhere Else. in my opinion, it is the weakest track by a mile. the "da da da" melody is kinda cute at first, but it really feels derivative, and then it just keeeps gooing. the structure of the song and overall vibe is just mad boring compared to every other track. all that being said, it's still immaculately produced and very pretty sounding. it's not a skip, just funny/typical that it seems to have gotten the most attention out of the singles despite being the weakest cut. Lmk if I'm alone on this one. 

Quote from: ThePumisher on Apr 18, 2026, 14:49

So this arrived yesterday at my parents:

Your parents have great taste in music!

Quote from: ThePumisher on Apr 18, 2026, 15:09

the last one i'm not sure - maybe from Auroras home studio?

Yes, this is Aurora's studio in Norway. There is a short video of Tom and Aurora sitting there and enjoying the view from the video, let me see if I can find it (edit: here: https://imginn.com/p/DWjmripiPo5/)

In one of the pictures you see Aurora and Amalie Holt Kleive at RAR. Amalie is also credited on In A Minute, apparently all three of them worked on this song together

Quote from: Stefan on Apr 18, 2026, 16:23

Your parents have great taste in music!

Misunderstanding. Most of the time when i order something online (which i try to reduce to a bare minimum, but local record stores don't sell the signed album version) i choose my parents adress for shipping because chances they are at home when the postman is ringing are higher than with me. Doesn't mean they don't have a taste in music, but most of the time i would not say it is "great". Nowadays they just listen to it to have some background noise. On the other hand, back when i was young (early 80s) my father did listen to a lot of John Denver and Johnny Cash for some reason and i can totally respect that for i think both artist have been excellent songwriters. Edit: Oh, and he has some Beatles (pre-Rubber Soul or Revolver era) and Buddy Holly in his shelf

Quote from: Stefan on Apr 18, 2026, 16:23

Yes, this is Aurora's studio in Norway. There is a short video of Tom and Aurora sitting there and enjoying the view from the video

Oh, i remember that video. Fantastic view, you'd have to pay a fortune for that over here and never recover financially. This must be the "The Raven's Nest" that is mentioned in the album credits

Quote from: Hutch108 on Apr 18, 2026, 16:15

The only song I don't love is Somewhere Else. in my opinion, it is the weakest track by a mile. the "da da da" melody is kinda cute at first, but it really feels derivative, and then it just keeeps gooing. the structure of the song and overall vibe is just mad boring compared to every other track. all that being said, it's still immaculately produced and very pretty sounding. it's not a skip, just funny/typical that it seems to have gotten the most attention out of the singles despite being the weakest cut. Lmk if I'm alone on this one.

I agree. I don't think it's "weak", but certainly the track that feels the safest among some interesting concepts. To be fair, the album really is a bit of a variety of styles. So with that in mind, it works.

Me atm

So I did a "Thing"

I wanted to listen to the live version of Starvation x My Baby from their set. Extracted vocals and stems from both songs, made some edits/additions and ended up with a remix/remake/live version type track. 

Here's the link if you want to give it a listen https://on.soundcloud.com/wYV33eHk26wNRmjQUv

Quote from: inchemwetrust on Apr 19, 2026, 01:03

Me atm

Are majority of you holding out for your physical copies to arrive for first listen? It's kind of quiet on the reactionary front so far. Obviously take time to digest album that fits you best, just weird to have like 3 people on the forum go into detail about how they feel about the album so far. Anxious to hear everyones thoughts and don't want to flood the zone with my opinions. 

Still collecting my thoughts (and have yet to buy an actual physical copy). This is easily the most interesting from either artist I've heard in a long time (IDTL and IAM have been stuck in my head for days now, making me hum along during the day like proper ear worms). What's best is that, with maybe the exception of one or two songs, this really feels like a complete thing of its own and not like a project that is Tom featuring Aurora or Aurora featuring Tom. It almost completely stands on its own legs rather than being a cliché of either artist. And I love the analogue synthy-ness of it all. So refreshing.
This whole unexpected collab has turned out to be a pleasant surprise ! Me encanta!

Not sure if this is a hot take but... I like Come Closer more than For That Beautiful Feeling. Don't get me wrong, I love FTBF (it was my most listened album in 2023/24), but it does feel a bit like No Geography 2. I'm pretty sure I remember reading in an interview that one of the Chems even described it as an extension of No Geography.

I know what's explored on Come Closer isn't necessarily groundbreaking, but as a new-gen Chems fan it's exciting to hear this kind of experimentation. I hope we see more of it on the next Chems project. If Tomora even slightly influences a new album or pushes them to explore something different, then I think it's absolutely worthwhile.

Anyway, my favourite is probably My Baby, but I don't think there's a dud on the album. Some tracks (like Come Closer) I wouldn't listen to on their own, but I think they work great in the context of the album.

Quote from: Csar on Apr 19, 2026, 10:21

What's best is that, with maybe the exception of one or two songs, this really feels like a complete thing of its own and not like a project that is Tom featuring Aurora or Aurora featuring Tom.

What tracks would you say don't fit this?

I'm still collecting my thoughts, and I'm not really one for longer posts anyway, but just popping in to say I'm surprised there isn't more love for "Wavelengths" so far. It might be the standout track for me!

Quote from: Csar on Apr 19, 2026, 10:21

(and have yet to buy an actual physical copy).

Either have I.

I think I'm awaiting for actual concert announcement in my area before I support the band with my money. Is that fair? Maybe not...

Quote from: feedmevinyls on Apr 19, 2026, 11:02

Not sure if this is a hot take but... I like Come Closer more than For That Beautiful Feeling.

Not a hot take, only natural to compare previous work.

I think Come Closer might be the most accessible album Tom has been apart of. Do I think that makes a better album? Not necessarily, in my opinion.

It will be interesting how everyone processes this album.

Quote from: actionjackson780 on Apr 19, 2026, 18:04

I'm surprised there isn't more love for "Wavelengths" so far. It might be the standout track for me!

Upon multiple listens, I do think this is one of the better tracks. Very Spiritualized-like opening to the track

Quote from: actionjackson780 on Apr 19, 2026, 18:04

I'm still collecting my thoughts, and I'm not really one for longer posts anyway, but just popping in to say I'm surprised there isn't more love for "Wavelengths" so far. It might be the standout track for me!

I'll be so real Wavelengths is such an underrated gem, nearly made me cry upon first listen, it's so touching and inspiring

I'm glad Tomora is allowing for more ambient moments from Tom but this exceeded my expectations outright from the imagery and instrumental, it's just gorgeous imo

I want to do a Wolkenkrabber style track by track, but haven't had a the time yet (we work weekends, sadly).

I DO want to say though, that I adore this album. I listened after work on Friday, headphones on, laying in bed, with a cocktail - and had a fucking wonderful time. I've been listening to it pretty much non-stop since.

So much going on which I'd love to dive into more track by track. But the nods and homages to other artists that have already been mentioned here, to me are simply a treat. Who wouldn't want to hear what a Chemical Brothers remix of Bjork sounds like? Or if Tom produced an Ultraísta track???

Quote from: actionjackson780 on Apr 19, 2026, 18:04

I'm surprised there isn't more love for "Wavelengths" so far. It might be the standout track for me!

Dude, completely agree. The harmonies at the end are so gorgeous. And Tom finally found the perfect way to incorporate the live vocoder destruction of 'You are all my children now' in an album track. I love it!

I Drink The Light is the best Chemical tune since... Further? Maybe? That analogue synth stab melody (is that the same synth as FLIAD?) is just perfection.

So much fun is being had on this album, and it's not sloppy either. Tight, interesting, ethereal in places. I'll be talking more about it for a while I think.

I've definitely come back to it and relished in it a lot more than FTBF when that came out.

:tcat

Quote from: Enjoyed on Apr 19, 2026, 21:25

I Drink The Light is the best Chemical tune since... Further?

Now that's a Hot Take! ... that I absolutely don't agree with

Obviously subjectivity drives this thought, but just for the sake of Aurora tracks... Eve of Destruction.

EOD is pretty fucking good... 

Maybe it is a little too hot?

Check back in with me in June
:tcat

Quote from: Enjoyed on Apr 19, 2026, 23:46

Maybe it is a little too hot?


Check back in with me in June

For the moment it might be. Who knows though, maybe in a few months I'll be agreeing with you.

I will be lending my thoughts here "in a minute" (or several, haha). Hopefully this coming weekend.  I'm still eating this up and have yet to digest it enough... for me to make my feelings make sense on paper. I'm loving the thoughts and hot takes here so far! ❤️ :tcat

Quote from: feedmevinyls on Apr 19, 2026, 11:02

What tracks would you say don't fit this?

To me, it's Side by Side. This sounds like it could have been on Aurora's debut album or on either of the two "Different Kind.." ones. And Have You Seen Me Dance Alone also sounds a bit more like an Aurora album song spiced up with Tom's synths-ergy :) And that's no criticism of either track by the way.
Oh, and Somewhere Else in parts does also have some Aurora album traits, esp. the Doo-doo-doo sing-along. But maybe less so than these other two.

Have You Seen Me Dance doesn't sound like a Tom Rowlands idea? Hm... Not sure if I agree.

To me, it sounds like one of those middling, off-beat tracks, that we get in a Chemical Brothers album. Except this time, it's completely realized thanks to Aurora's vocals. If this was a full-fledged Chemical track, we would probably get some warped vocalization or throw-away sample to soften the experience of the track. But again, thanks to Aurora we get a sensual and dramatic twist that elevates the concept.

As a matter of fact, I think this might be the most harmonious artistic moment on the album.

Can anyone confirm this is the real deal?

Quote from: Bosco on Apr 21, 2026, 20:48

Have You Seen Me Dance doesn't sound like a Tom Rowlands idea? Hm... Not sure if I agree.

To me, it sounds like one of those middling, off-beat tracks, that we get in a Chemical Brothers album. Except this time, it's completely realized thanks to Aurora's vocals. 

Ditto!  The focus is on her voice, and during the 2nd half of the track, she stretches her voice as if she's toying with it, or sculpting it to get your attention on her. The music is accompanying her, not the other way around

Come Closer gives me tingles all the time!

This album is almost skipless. 

Oh and I have the white and OG signed version! 

Khajiit has wares if you have coin !

(https://i.imgur.com/dbg8f16.jpeg)

Has the production of this album avoided any major sampling?

Yes.

They updated In A Minute to include the synth that was missing from the release version (ca. from 3:30 onwards):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3YY6PS3v58

The digital version of the song, which you can buy from Beatport, was also updated. Can't check on any Streaming services because I don't use them. 

Quote from: Stefan on Today at 11:45

They updated In A Minute to include the synth that was missing from the release version (ca. from 3:30 onwards):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3YY6PS3v58

The digital version of the song, which you can buy from Beatport, was also updated. Can't check on any Streaming services because I don't use them.

Much appreciated!

Now, make it longer and reprise the vocal theme like in the live version! Honestly, why didn't they do that for the studio version and rather cut it short? That melody is just too good to only have it during the break.

Quote from: Stefan on Today at 11:45

They updated In A Minute to include the synth that was missing from the release version (ca. from 3:30 onwards):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3YY6PS3v58

The digital version of the song, which you can buy from Beatport, was also updated. Can't check on any Streaming services because I don't use them.

Not updated on Spotify (yet?) sadly