Track Review: By 2022 // Tom Tikka & The Missing Hubcaps
While his musical career is primarily one with bands including Carmen Gray and The Impersonators, Finnish singer-songwriter Tom Tikka is making waves with his solo project Tom Tikka & The Missing Hubcaps. Tom first embraced music at the age of six after listening to Paul Anka’s ‘Lonely Boy’ in his father’s Chevrolet; however, it was his uncle-in-law that introduced him to “the concept of lead guitar and even more importantly The Beatles and The Doors.”
Featured across the blogosphere in publications like Find No Enemy, Sinusoidal Music, The Other Side Reviews, Indie Dock Music and numerous playlists, Tom Tikka & The Hubcaps are making waves on an international scale. As of 2020, Tom Tikka has worked with label MTS Records releasing the critically acclaimed EPs Working Class Voodoo and That’s What Winston Churchill Said, now we’re looking at his latest single release ‘By 2022’.
Hot on the heels of his well-received ten-track album This Is My Happy Face, ‘By 2022’ incorporates tinges of indie-rock, indie-pop and pop-rock presented in a pretty four-minute package. Superbly layering steady drums with strong basslines and powerful guitars, ‘By 2022’ has a hard-hitting melody – particularly the lead guitar solos; however, it is the dulcet vocals that add a truly intoxicating quality to the soothing single. Almost a whisper, Tom’s warm voice is tender and enticing engulfing you in a warm, sincere hug.
Touching on the concept of miracles and positive futures, ‘By 2022’ is a love song written for the year 2022. 2020 and 2021 have been uncertain, frustrating and desperate; however, ‘By 2022’ invokes senses of optimism, hopefulness and a desire for the good things in life. Tom explains that the song “was born out of an extremely naïve thought that perhaps by the time the year changes, everything will fall into place miraculously…once in a while it’s wonderful to take a break from reality and pretend that you can have a conversation with the future where you speak your mind bluntly and express your fears, hopes and dreams, and possibly change things for the better.”
In addition to the single, Tom Tikka & The Missing Hubcaps released an official music video for ‘By 2022’ that you can view below.