MF Tomlinson

London’s MF Tomlinson has announced his upcoming debut EP Last Days of Rome with the release of the title track.

Set for an independent release on Friday, March 13, there is also a release launch for the EP at The Lexington on Monday, March 30.

Tackling themes from the heavy and politically timely, to the humorous and hopeful, the release emerges as both MF’s response to – and soundtrack of – our uncertain times.

‘Last Days of Rome’ blends humorous yet bitingly relatable lyricism about our modern times (“been livin’ in an algorithm”), with rich, diverse instrumentation inspired by soul, funk and indie rock. I really like what MF Tomlinson is all about, I love the way he covers themes; often heavy, but always in a way that’s funny, witty and relatable.

MF Tomlinson

Of the track, MF explains “The seed of this song was formed many years ago – sadly, it felt like the song only became more relevant as years went by. Now, in 2020 my homeland of Australia has been consumed by fire, Brexit looms and in the US the situation worsens with strikes in Iran. Yet somehow, our lives continue – this song is made up of all the thoughts that whirl around in the back of our minds as we go about our days, haunted by the knowledge that this might be the end – the ‘Last Days of Rome’.

“It discusses the hegemony of the digital age, and the systems within which we live – systems that were, in theory, created to allow people to progress on their own merits, but have ultimately disconnected us and led to unprecedented destruction.

“The final spoken word section is very much informed by Mary Beard’s ‘Women & Power’, her brilliant words were the last piece of the puzzle in a song that begins by lamenting what might be slipping away but ultimately ends up calling to question if what ‘we’ are fighting to save is even the ideal.”