Tom Bruins

‘Waiting for the Rain’ is a timeless concept album about growing up. Not unique in its theme, but highly adventurous in its form. Tom Bruins’ debut album ranges from singer-songwriter to baroque pop and prog rock, all in one. On ‘Waiting for the Rain’, four narrators guide us through the story: the toddler, the schoolchild, the teenager, and the adolescent. We peer through a window at each stage, watching them wrestle with the confusions and breakthroughs of growing up. Importantly, these narrators are not stand-ins for the artist himself. In that sense, Bruins sets himself apart from confessional singer-songwriters, choosing instead to create a more universal, multi-voiced work. Lyrically, Bruins turns his attention to the absurdities of daily life, and the puzzling ways in which people communicate with each other—and with themselves—about them. Literature and film are key sources of inspiration, especially the role of fictional characters in songs and the blurred line between invention and reality. With this song cycle, Bruins hopes to breathe new life into the art form in 2025. The album was recorded at the SSE Studio in Amsterdam-Noord with producers Frans Hagenaars and Yorick van Norden.