A debut album feels like the first brush stroke of what is slowly going to become a scenic painting meant to depict the emotions and experiences of the person holding the brush. It is the beginning of what is hopefully a long journey of self-discovery and unfiltered creativity, allowing the artist to evolve over time and display their evolution through art. For Tommy Prine, his debut album This Far South feels like a fully formed portrait of a man still finding his footing in life. For two whole years, Prine was patient with himself and the recording process as a whole, allowing the emotional vulnerability of his debut to surface naturally and have each song feel like a new chapter in an enthralling novel.
The eleven songs presented to us on This Far South took nothing less than blood, sweat, and tears to create. Prine’s history with substances flows through the melodies, his life story is told through lyrics that pull from reality just as much as the artist’s grasp on poetry. These elements combine for a moving set of songs that, despite how deeply personal they are to Prine, connect with you on an emotional level. “Crashing Again” unites the listeners with Prine through an emotional decline, one we all experience from time to time while “Reach The Sun” personifies the feeling of longing. This Far South is not only our introduction to Tommy Prine, a young artist whose heart-on-their-sleeve approach to music evokes nostalgia through masterful storytelling and minimal yet potent arrangements, but it is also proof that even our darkest times can provide a new sense of self and shine a light on the lessons learned through memories we always hoped to forget.
With a new set of songs and the world on his shoulders, Prine has set off on a massive tour to support This Far South. Glide had the pleasure of catching up with the artist to discuss life on the road, his debut project, and the process he experienced to land at this point. Read our full conversation below and keep an eye out for Prine if he ever enters your neck of the woods.
Tour dates: https://www.tommyprine.com/tour?mc_cid=244b7c4f2c&mc_eid=19a24fbb44
How did you feel when you woke up on the day your debut album was released? Was there a sense of relief?
Relief is a good one to use. Obviously, excitement, joy, and all the good emotions were flooding in too. I also had a tinge of exhaustion because I’d been holding on to This Far South for two years, and so much has happened since I recorded it. When it finally came out I could breathe and go “I thought this thing would never come out.” It was a bit of a whirlwind, all good things.
The sentiment is that artists take their whole lives to complete their debut. Do you feel this way about This Far South?
Not to get too meta, but I believe that’s true. There was my life before the album and now there’s the life I’m living after I released it. I really did put my entire life leading up to the moment when I made the album into This Far South.
The album feels very nostalgic, what was it like writing about your past? Was there a challenge to balance your current emotions with the ones you felt when these situations went down?
The writing process for this album was really intense. I made the decision to make the album essentially an introduction to me as a man, just trying to catch everyone up on my life. A lot of things have happened that shaped the way that I am, some of them are really great and some of them are really sad. When you’re writing in a really vulnerable space and trying to be as honest as possible, you kind of have to revisit those emotions. Whether it’s a song about losing my Dad or my friend or struggling with the choices I made in the past that I didn’t like, you have to really live in that space not only when you’re writing but especially when you’re recording to really get that emotion across. It was very intense but in a way, it has been extremely healing for me. It has essentially been a long therapy session, working out things as I’m writing them. Performing them now can be intense as well, I’m getting better at living in a space where I can go to these places and have it not be a shell shock. I’m way more comfortable in my vulnerability nowadays.
You worked on this project with Ruston Kelly and Gena Johnson, what was it like collaborating on such personal songs?
It helped, Ruston is one of my best friends and I couldn’t imagine making an album with anyone else. It was really helpful having those two together because I’m really close with both of them and they really helped guide me through those moments of insecurity, they had my back.
Outside of the music itself, how did your collaborators help/influence you during this process?
They created such a comfortable environment for me that doing something new, vulnerable, and scary felt really fun. Hats off to them, not only for their professionalism but their friendship. The environment they create around them and how they make the people around them feel is a very important aspect both professionally and personally.
How important is the environment of a studio to your creative process?
Extraordinarily important, we actually went to a few places to see what the vibe would be. We picked The Smokestack, which is in the Berry Hill area of Nashville. It’s a really cool place, very dimly lit with a lot of candles. I would say it’s close to a meditative sort of vibe in that place. That matters a lot when recording a record.
How many songs were recorded for This Far South? What was it like sequencing the tracklist?
“Mirror and a Kitchen Sink” was the only song that was a last-minute addition to the album. There were one or two other songs that I had planned on recording but in the studio, we made a choice to change the songs. I’m glad I did, Ruston and Gena made that decision for me. That was a new thing for me, letting go of a plan that I had in something new was scary but I trusted them and I’m glad I listened to them on that.
As far as sequencing goes, that is an art in itself. I bounced [tracklists] off Ruston and Gena a million times. They would give me feedback and allow for space for me to explain my thought process. Ultimately, the songs on a record could have similar subject matter but how you present those songs really builds the narrative. That was a new thing for me too, I thought it would be easy but it really wasn’t, it was quite a difficult but fun process. We started sequencing everything after we got the masters. I was under the impression that the album would be out in a few months once the recording was over but Ruston and Gena sat me down and explained it would be years.
What was that waiting period like when the songs were out of your hands and being mastered?
Honestly, it was a little painstaking. I had too much time to think about what the album could become but you need that. You need to have the right rollout and the right team around you and that takes time. It was a lot of trial and error, it’s important work but it’s hard work in terms of getting the right infrastructure and plan. In a way, I got to live with these songs for such a long time before they came out, and they’ve taken on a new life for me now that they’re released. They’re like babies, you have these eleven babies you’re releasing into the world and it is a vulnerable thing. I feel the best about the album now that they’re out, they can live their own lives and do things for people that I may have intended or may not have but I think it’s all positive. I listened to them so much during this period and now I only really hear them when I play them live. I’ve been listening to music that has nothing to do with my genre recently.
What have you been listening to and did you listen to anything during the creation of This Far South?
I’ve always been a 90’s hip-hop fan, so nowadays I’m listening to stuff like Souls of Mischief, People Under The Stairs, Dilated Peoples, Outkast, and stuff like that. When I was making the record, one album was a Sufjan Stevens record that Ruston [Kelly] showed me, that was one we bounced a lot of production ideas off of. I was writing so much during that time so there wasn’t a lot of room in my mind and heart to be taking in that much music.
You’re on a massive tour right now, is this your first time hitting the road and how has tour life been treating you?
This is definitely my first national tour. I’ve had these last few years to get used to it, there are components that I don’t think anyone gets used to but I have a better system these days. I’m able to take better care of myself like mentally and physically. It’s one of those love/hate relationships, I love doing it but it’s one of the harder things I do. [The touring] is part of the recording process and putting out a record, I’m a new artist so the shows are where all of the traction and attention happens. I’m not planning on blowing up on TikTok so it’s just playing shows.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
None yet, I’ve dabbled in some different ones. Sometimes I’ll zone out on my phone and sometimes that is helpful but other times I’ll read. I’m reading Lord of The Rings right now along with Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Reading helps me focus on one thing at a time. I’m sure I’ll get one eventually but in the grand scheme of things I’m still new to touring so I have a lot to learn. My rider is just a small bottle of whisky, some tea, and Chex Mix.
What songs have been the most rewarding to perform live and which This Far South track has gotten the biggest crowd reaction?
“Cash Carter Hill” is above and beyond a fan favorite but for me, the title track (“This Far South”) really hits home every time.
Where does the title This Far South come from?
The song “This Far South” was one of the two songs I wrote in my late teens/early twenties that made it on the album. I wrote that when I wasn’t leading the life I wanted to, I was partying a lot and partying hard and hanging out with the wrong people. When I wrote that song it was a cry for help to myself and acknowledging that I wasn’t happy with where I was. I wrote it as a promise to myself that I would never find myself this far south again. That was kind of the gist of the album.
On your website, there’s a quote from you that says “I think it transformed me into the person I am meant to be”, How were you changed by the recording process and did your recording process change with you?
It was my first time going through the recording process so I didn’t really know what my [personal] process was. I was just in the mind state of “I’m going to be trying a lot of new stuff and I’m going to give it my best shot”, just taking in as much information as I can on how I’m feeling.
Now that This Far South has gone through the full life cycle of these songs simply being an idea to coming to life through your performances, what have been some of your biggest takeaways from your first time releasing a full LP?
I’m still learning from it honestly. It’s all so fresh and I’m still taking everything in. I feel like I’m on the ground floor for the rest of my life, I’m really looking forward to everything to come. I’m wading through a lot of new stuff and I think it’s going to take me a while to reflect on it all. It’s hard to look back at moments when you’re actively living them.
