Ok Nice with Tomberlin
Musician and good person Tomberlin answers 5 pressing questions and provides a 10 song playlist ahead of her second album 'i don't know who needs to hear this'
Endlessly scrolling through the algorithm YouTube was feeding me—the Charles Grodin on Letterman interviews and Logan Paul clickbait I’ll almost always watch (whatever, nothing matters) was a lone NPR tiny desk concert. It was Tomberlin and it blew me away. The lyrics were beautiful, heartbreaking, and funny—”I used a self help book to kill a fly.”
I connected with the music on a deep level and it felt so nostalgic in a way that had me revisiting old memories, but scored by Tomberlin. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you want to call an old friend. I found it at the exact moment I needed to and her song Wasted climbed my year in review charts to number one.
If you ever want to do some self-reflection in a big field at sunset, this is your soundtrack.
Tomberlin’s second album i don’t know who needs to hear this is coming out on April 29th. You can pre-order the album here, and check out the single happy accident here. FYI - it fuckin’ slaps. Big ol’ 90s alt riff played by Cass McCombs, who was made famous to me in Jerry Hsu’s Bag of Suck part—the more you know.
Here’s five questions and a playlist with Tomberlin.
What’s your day-to-day look like?
I generally wake up at 7:50/8am every day. I get out of bed, take my dog Annie outside, and then make coffee. I start my day with a workout at 8:15 everyday on zoom with some other musician pals. If I miss a workout I feel like I am not as clearheaded or productive, so it is a good way to start my day. Right now, I am in album cycle mode so it is a lot of email, zoom meetings, and scheduling madness. I feel less inspired to write during this time, but I am trying to just play more than I am trying to sit down and make something happens for productivity's sake. Usually I make oatmeal with blueberries, honey, and cinnamon and have that after workout. I’ll usually check email and respond. Eventually I’ll shower and become a real person and then do normal tasks- clean, cook, do laundry, catch up with a friend, etc. I try not to watch TV until night time, but in winter I let myself cheat. I’ve been watching Yellowjackets. I’m liking it so far. Good cast. Cool story. Some evenings I'll go hang with a pal or two in the city. I go to movies by myself a lot and I take a lot of big walks with my headphones on. At night, I usually wind down and roll a joint and play guitar, or write in my journal. I like to be asleep before midnight, but sometimes I stay up late for no apparent reason. 11pm is ideal in bed ready to go to sleep.
Best advice you’ve been given?
If you say you can’t do something, you probably won’t be able to do it. So don’t say you can’t do something. You are your own mental block! Idk if that is advice, but I think about it a lot. I think my mom probably said this to me when I was a kid not wanting to learn something in math class.
Favorite thing you own?
My dog Annie. But honestly she owns my life.
What’s your go-to beverage?
Oat milk cappuccino. Because it is a perfect ratio of milk to espresso. Or Essentia water even though plastic water bottles are evil…but that water is so good. Must be those ph levels.
Favorite piece of art?
I am truly horrendous at these kinds of questions because I take it too seriously and cannot make up my mind.
But currently my favorite song is: A Good Thing by Jana Horn. There are some lines in this song that simply knock me to the floor. The whole record really. Favorite movie The Tree of Life is one of my favorite movies ever. My favorite painting is Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth. It hangs in my bedroom.
Check out Tomberlin’s playlist for ok nice here. Minus one track that can be listened to here.
You can buy tickets and catch Tomberlin on tour here.
Follow ok nice on instagram.
