Debut single from Columbia musician Tonsil models what it means to find your voice
Forgive. Forget. Relive. Reset.
Four not-so-little words open "Tetherborn," the debut single from Columbia musician Tonsil. Repeated with intent, for emphasis, they don't so much form a creed as describe a cycle to be shed.
At first, the artist's voice sounds deep, almost disembodied tones; across 3 minutes, 22 seconds, the human instrument becomes more dynamic and yearning, more relatable. Performing from within a deliberate persona, everything about Tonsil's work, from the mask he wears to the nature of the music itself, is meant to foreground that voice, modeling what it's like to find yours.
"Tetherborn" represents the first dispatch from an ongoing progression, musically — from the quieter indie sound of a previous project to something more "bombastic" today — and personally.
"I’m a fairly quiet person. ... That was a strain that went through my whole life," the artist said. "I was not very outspoken; I wasn’t super great about advocating for myself ... The lean toward louder music, louder voice, louder image — all of it — very much followed that idea of speaking up for myself, being louder for myself, expressing the parts of myself that were inside that I hadn’t shown the world."
Working alongside Fort Worth, Texas-based producer Geoff Rockwell (Memphis May Fire, Crown the Empire), Tonsil created a series of singles, to be rolled out progressively this year. Rockwell enfleshed and "exploded" the sounds of early demos, the musician testified, and worked production magic to free up his vocal presence.
The artist wants to be a voice, he said, and focus on the microphone, unhindered by investing physical energy elsewhere.
"Tetherborn" is a grand musical gesture, bombastic indeed, as cavernous bass-and-drums, insistent guitar figures and sweeping digital strings meet, creating an electro-pop storm. The song is a descendant, the artist said, of formative Swedish band Normandie and reflects vocal influences such as Hayley Williams (Paramore), Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy) and Jonny Craig (Dance Gavin Dance).
Before ever releasing the single, Tonsil gained notice — and formed community — by releasing cover songs on TikTok. Kindred spirits sprang up on the social-media platform, giving him a sense his voice was truly worthy of being heard.
There, he's found a niche with "my fellow nerdy musical theater kids, cosplayers, other people that wear masks and play video games — they’re literally the coolest people ever," he said.
The artist fields questions about aspects of his musical persona, especially the mask, and offers a multiplicity of thoughtful answers. In part, the mask allows him to play to his strengths — making, building — and keep his voice the main thing both for himself and audiences, he said.
To listen to that voice, and hear him out on "Tetherborn," is to encounter the sound of coming unstuck. The track reflects back on a dark period, the artist said, marked by wounds that were self-inflicted and came from outside-in. He's found power in breaking free, losing the need to relive the pain.
"The song is the journey out of that," he said.
"Tetherborn" can be found wherever you stream music.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia singer Tonsil models finding your voice on debut single
