Old Tom & The Lookouts examines the tendency of Northerners to suffer in silence and take on their problems with no help from others in this album, and addresses it specifically in the lead single “Your Town.” Lead singer Alex Calabrese sings “just look up, come tomorrow, we’ll be back out on the road again.” Though the intense winters and individualistic culture of the north can get people down, Calabrese offers hope that things can always get better. Uplifting instrumentation backs this ultimately inspiring song, and stunningly simple lines like “there’s a sunrise unlike anything you will ever see again” remind the listener to find value and reassurance in the little things in life.
The title track is a highlight of the album, closing this body of work with a moving vocal performance and a stomp clap rhythm that you can feel in your heart. The lyric “where the sun goes down at 4, but it comes up again each morning” beautifully captures the main theme of the album: balancing the difficult with the beautiful. Old Tom & The Lookouts doesn’t sugarcoat the harsh things in life, but refuses to become cynical and hopeless. It’s no use wearing rose colored glasses, but it’s even worse to give up on the potential of life to get better.
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