Tom Aspaul Flips His Script & Sound on ‘Life In Plastic’ | Album Review

Tom Aspaul
Life In Plastic
Diggers Factory
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Musical worldbuilding is a task that requires vision, ambition and drive. But Tom Aspaul made it look easy with Black Country Disco (2020). 

Hosted on his own 1609 imprint, Aspaul’s debut offered a fresh spin on what were fast becoming well-worn conventions in the modern dance-pop sphere. A long form video, coffee table book and “The Revenge Body” Tour all followed, expanding on this scintillating universe. Critics raved and audiences asked for more. It was always going to be a tall order to succeed that fine first record, but Aspaul is more than ready to meet the moment with his sophomore set Life In Plastic.

With the exception of “Hey! Amigo!,” originally rendered by French pop firebrand Alizée Lyonnet nearly two decades prior, co-writing contributions from fellow British peer MNEK on “What Is Real Anymore?” and “Millionaire,” the remaining eight cuts on Life In Plastic are scripted and smithed by Aspaul alongside writer-producer Gil Lewis. Aspaul and Lewis definitely made magic on Black Country Disco, but this collection is not a shallow repeat act.

Two things separate Life In Plastic from its predecessor: narrative and sound. The former element has Aspaul table the concept album approach—he replaces it with a more general thematic position: living and loving in our strange, modern age. Both the extroverted and introverted sides of Aspaul’s persona, as a public performer and private person, are thrillingly on display. Pieces such as “Listen 2 Nicole” and “Effigy” demonstrate that he has lost none of his wit or sensitivity despite flipping his writing compass for Life In Plastic. 

Regarding the second aspect, the warm nu-disco and synth-funk tones emblematic of Black Country Disco have been exchanged for a kinetic strain of Euro-pop and dance from 1995 up through to 2003. “Dial Up (Intro)” signals this change at the album’s start and anthemic entries “Let Them (It’s All Love)” and “Millionaire” build on this clever sonic switch-up further. When one drills down on Aspaul’s references from this specific stretch, reverent traces of La Bouche, Ace of Base, Steps, Whigfield, ATC and more are noticeable within the compositional make-up of “Kiss It,” “Wake Up In The Sun” and “Statues.”  

Aspaul goes in-depth about these influences in the EPK for Life In Plastic and details how exploring them helped him grow as an artist. “I wanted to widen the palette of references on this record to encompass sounds and genres I’d never felt confident enough to explore before—perhaps for fear of it being too ‘bubblegum pop’, too ‘camp’ or even too ‘gay,” Aspaul explains. “I listened to a lot of European music, from the Balkans, Spanish pop, French pop and Greek pop music, having lived there in 2010 and 2011. At its root, this is where the ‘90s/’00s Euro-pop ‘sound’ came from. When that music ruled the airwaves, it soundtracked my adolescence, my coming out, my formative years—and the self-discovery of the 2020s feels like an echo of that time. This album is a celebration of all of that.” 

Even with this stylistic aesthetic in place for most of Life In Plastic, Aspaul gives himself room to roam. The aforementioned “What Is Real Anymore?” is a delicious homage to the U.K. garage phenomenon that burned brightest at the tail end of the 1990s up through to the mid-2000s. It’s a path one hopes Aspaul will resume on subsequent albums, and it doesn’t hurt that he sounds absolutely fantastic on this track either. 

One of the best parts about Black Country Disco was the unconsciously soulful tone Aspaul’s voice occupied across its expanse. That same vocal feel is maintained on Life In Plastic, although one can hear even more shades of escapism and introspection on this effort. “Thessaloniki,” arguably one of his finest performances to date, is also the centerpiece of this long player—Aspaul is all at once exotic, sensual and mercurial on this gem.

I remarked in my review of Black Country Disco that the record “was likely only the first chapter in what looks to be a very promising career in pop for Aspaul.” To see this enterprising singer-songwriter-producer make good on my prediction is beyond satisfying. Life In Plastic is Tom Aspaul leveling up—pay attention to this young man if you haven’t been already, only the sky is the limit for him.

Notable Tracks: “Kiss It” | “Let Them (It’s All Love)” | “Thessaloniki” | “What Is Real Anymore?”

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