Thom Sonny Green: "I need to let go of a lot of this stuff so that I can move forward artistically"

Most people probably wouldn’t recognise the name Thom Sonny Green, but you’ll definitely have heard his music. Drumming for world-conquering art rockers alt-J has been Thom’s full-time career for more than a decade, though he’s always been making his own experimental electronica. Stepping out of the drumming shadows, Thom’s debut album, titled ‘High Anxiety’, clocks in at twenty one tracks long and touches on themes of isolation, loneliness and anxiety. Moody and atmospheric, he reckons his debut solo project, influenced by the abstract soundscapes of Arca and Clams Casino, would sit better in churches and galleries than gig venues and clubs.

I’ve been producing music on my own for about four years now and with alt-J taking some time off this year I thought it would be a good opportunity to compile some of what I’d written into an album. It’s not so much about going solo but more that I need to let go of a lot of this stuff so that I can move forward artistically.