One of the more charming sounds in grassroots indie at the moment comes from young French man Tom Claudet aka Supersonic Boy. Tom has built up quite a collection of folksy, punkish retro sounding tunes since September 2020, to the point where an octopus could now hold a track in each arm.  Well ok, in reality an octopus probably physically couldn’t, but if he could, the tracks are ready…

Hot on the heels of Supersonic Boy’s Teenage Sounds EP is a new track Treasure Island.  The track to my ear has a delicious retro feel to it, the sort of track that a late 60’s beatnik might have played quietly on the Dansette record player in their attic bedsit at 2 am.

There’s usually a story about someone going on in Supersonic Boy’s tunes, which perhaps adds a Dylan vibe. In Treasure Island there’s a fisherman lost on a treasure island after sinking his ship, and then being followed by pirates. I’m sure you could create a hidden meaning into the lyrics if you chose.

I adore the simple style of the songs and how they are recorded. I think it adds to the atmosphere and while Tom cites more contemporary influences, the recording process evokes that retro vibe.

Tom confirmed to me: “All my songs are recorded at home, I don’t go to the studio. I like the fact that i only use my microphone and my amp to record my music; up the simple things! The negative point is that the quality of the sound isn’t always great, but the songs still good I think“.

Had Tom been playing music a few years ago, I swear the UK would have never have left the EU. Who could reject a nation with a guy who channels that 1960’s folk/punk cool so perfectly?  Fans of Velvet Underground and Nico would definitely give Supersonic Boy more than a listen.     

Another charming aspect to the Supersonic Boy tracks arrive with his French accent on the English lyrics. I asked Tom if he was ever tempted to produce a French language tune. He told me:

“I write all my songs in English because I listen to British music. My favourite bands are from Manchester. Sometimes however, I write French lyrics, which perhaps remind of Serge Gainsbourg, The Liminanas, or La Souris Deglinguée, but for the moment I don’t record these tracks. Maybe one day I will release French songs, god only knows ahah“.

Unfortunately the distance and circumstances makes it difficult to think that Supersonic Boy might do a live gig in the UK North at the moment but Tom is positive about the situation: “I would like to play some little gigs, but France is in lockdown again so it is not possible for the moment. However, I hope I will be able to play my first concert this summer as I was supposed to; let’s hope! The positive point is that I will have a lot of originals written during the lockdown to play for my first gig!”

Chris R

* Images are taken from Supersonic Boy’s social media, and many thanks to Tom for the chat for the review