Getting to know Sainthill

Melbourne-based artist Sainthill shares new album, Dream Animal, on Friday 1st March. We asked him to tell us about himself:

I am… Sainthill (aka Tom Larkey) a Melbourne-based, Hobart-born musician raised on a steady diet of Bruce Springsteen courtesy of my mum. I make a kind of dreampop/indie rock/folk hybrid with a sprinkling of shoegaze. I began releasing music in 2009 and after 2 EPs and 3 albums my records have steadily gathered layers of drums, guitar and synth in songs that explore themes of love, loss, hope, and renewal. I’ve been described by music critic Marty Jones as making ‘intelligent, beautiful music’ which is quite nice of him to say. My new album ‘Dream Animal’ is coming out March 1st.

2024 has so far been… really busy but really good. I feel like 2024 is a futuristic date, like are we actually in this year? We’re supposed to have Blade Runner type stuff going on by now. But yeah, finally getting to release new music has been awesome – it’s been a while since I started writing/recording these songs… the drums were tracked back in 2018! Then there were delays on a large scale (that global event we all know too well) and a procrastination scale, but now people can finally hear the fruits of my labour.

I recently… dropped a single called ‘The Black Bull’, it’s from my upcoming album.  All songs on the album originated from dreams, and for this song it was (unsurprisingly) one about a black bull. I took that for its obvious metaphor (a black animal as depression) and told the story of someone taking matters into their own hands – in this case to train as a matador and overcome it (as grotesque as bullfighting is). Production-wise, I was inspired by the textures and sounds of bands like Slowdive and The Cure who often weave pulsing bass with shoegaze elements along with a bittersweet, melancholic atmosphere.

Home is… currently the inner north of Melbourne/Naarm, right near the beautifully muddy Yarra River. I grew up in Hobart/Nipaluna, so that will always be ‘home’ to me. My family are down there along with many things I love – expansive nature being one of them. I love being in Melbourne though – such a vibrant, diverse and supportive music scene.

I spend too much time… last year, playing ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’. Even though I love hiking, camping, and generally getting outdoors, I’m equally at home indoors plugging many hours into helping a tiny Hylian elf-guy save the Kingdom of Hyrule once again.

I never… want to stop making music. I’m at a point now where music is clearly something I’ll always make, and need to make… It’s a true passion. I have a 9-5 job in mental health/social work that I love, so I’m quite content with music as my hobby – I’ll keep putting out albums out every few years, for anyone interested to listen!