One True Pairing, aka Tom Fleming, former Wild Beasts songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, releases new single and video 'Be Strong'.
Following the acclaimed ‘Frozen Food Centre’ and blissfully raw ‘Mid-Life Crisis’, ‘Be Strong’ marks the third John ‘Spud’ Murphy (Lankum, black midi, caroline) produced single to be released by Fleming. Tender and reflective, it’s the sound of a singer-songwriter finding new clarity in asking the bigger questions about being a man and growing up.
“You search the streets, trying every door. All locked,” says Tom. “The cold night stretches out ahead, utterly indifferent to you. Everything has fallen silent and everyone has gone. To gather up all the things that led here would take forever, but you have to do it. This song is for Jenny, who showed me that true strength is in tenderness and brute force is worthless. It’s a gentler song for sure but it’s heartfelt and means a lot to me. A love song. Things can change.”
Listen to ‘Be Strong’ by One True Pairing on our Blackburn Rovers Fan playlist on Spotify.
Once again collaborating with Angus Gannagé who also directed the video for ‘Mid-Life Crisis’, the video for ‘Be Strong’ is heartwarming and clever, exploring the interchangeable roles of puppet and puppet master.
Towards the end of 2023, Fleming released ‘Frozen Food Centre’, his first new music as One True Pairing since the release of his self-titled debut album in 2019. Released alongside a poignant short film directed by James Hankins (Richard Dawson), ‘Frozen Food Centre’ was released to acclaim with The Quietus in an exclusive video premiere noting its “beautiful and elegiac” quality and The Guardian similarly praising Fleming’s “gorgeous” voice. ‘Mid-Life Crisis’ was released to similar acclaim with The Observer remarking on Tom’s “husky, baroque vocals…mak(ing) existential dread sound strangely enticing.”
