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Today I’m so happy to talk about an artist I was recently introduced to, and I feel like more people should know about his music. So I am returning the favor by discussing ambitious Chicago-based Tommy Oeffling. His Bandcamp bio offers wonderful insight, noting: “Tommy Oeffling is part of a new wave of independent artists redefining what DIY music can look and sound like. Drawing from the lineage of artists like David Byrne, Mac DeMarco, and Kevin Parker, Tommy writes, records, produces, and shapes his music largely on his own terms, building a sound that feels raw, immediate, and deeply personal.
Rooted in the spirit of the American Midwest, Tommy’s music swings between chaos and vulnerability without warning. One moment his songs feel loud, explosive, and emotionally unrestrained, the next they collapse into something intimate and fragile. There’s an honesty in his songwriting that cuts through the noise, documenting the unrest, confusion, and emotional weight of growing up in modern America while still managing to feel timeless.
What separates Tommy from many of his DIY peers is the real-world community he’s built around his music. Without the backing of a major label, management company, or industry machine, Tommy and his friends have spent years touring relentlessly across the country, building a grassroots audience city by city. Whether in Orlando, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, or San Francisco, kids show up for Tommy Oeffling because his music feels genuine, loud enough to scream along to, but personal enough to feel like it belongs to them.
His upcoming album, Neighbors, arrives October 30, 2026, following a 19-date US headline tour and marking his first release in partnership with the independent label 22TWENTY. Expansive and emotionally charged, Neighbors pushes beyond the boundaries of indie rock, pulling together moments of noise, melody, tension, and vulnerability into something uniquely Tommy Oeffling. The result is a record that feels both immediate and enduring, the kind of album destined to live loudly in bedrooms, garages, cars, basements, and headphones for the next generation of American youth.”
Right on. I dig the vibe and the verbiage above. Oeffling is about to release his eighth album, his first with a label; the previous seven were self-released before age 20. You can read an up-to-date listing of his discography here and check out those previous releases via his Bandcamp page here. And don’t let age cause bias. I can confirm this new album Neighbors rocks. It is definitely worth listening to in its entirety. According to a press release for the album, “it’s inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses, but it’s based in a small pocket of Milwaukee instead.”
What do I mean by that? The Marquette undergrad was inspired by Milwaukee neighborhood Avenues West. According to the Bandcamp page, “On the western edge of Milwaukee’s downtown area rests Avenues West, a one-mile-wide stretch of the city largely dominated by his fellow Marquette University undergraduates and city workers who want easy access to the center. Tucked away between the late-night diners, fish fries, and a Gilded Age house-turned-museum owned by the hoppy Pabst family are the everyday people Oeffling couldn’t stop thinking about as he prepped his eighth full-length album.”
And check out the video for the song “Psycho” that is complete with a cooking tutorial:
(All credits and rights to Tommy Oeffling)
Take a gander at the cover art for the Neighbors album:
The track list for Neighbors:
- Lacunae
- Daily on Eggshells
- Psycho
- How to Age Gracefully
- Five Dollar Bill
- Make it Later
- Roy’s Accordion
- Grab Your Cameras
Listen to more of Tommy Oeffling and check out his socials at the following links:
- Website: oeffling.org
- ffm.bio page: ffm.bio/tommyoeffling
- Bandcamp: tmomy.bandcamp.com
- YouTube: youtube.com/@tomoeffling
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Instagram: instagram.com/tomoeffling
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Spotify: Tommy Oeffling on Spotify
- Apple Music: Tommy Oeffling on Apple Music
Tour? Look at Oeffling’s latest tour info here.
If you like discovering new-to-you music, a good way to do so here at SWT is via our Singles Spotlight series. You could also click here to return to the homepage. Plenty of great content there, too.Â
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
