TAM – “Mental Souvenir”

An emotive psych-pop character captivates throughout the track “Mental Souvenir,” a stellar showing from TAM, the project of Los Angeles-based artist Tommy Mai. A love for ’60s and ’70s media — ranging from psychedelic pop to the film scores of the era — is enjoyably audible on his material, from the get-go here with the twangy guitars and lush vocals. A blissful mixture of keys and acoustics then lead to a vibrant hook, where vocal soaring, glistening synths, and expressive guitars converge for a delectably replay-inducing turn.

“This song is about memories and how certain thoughts are metaphysical manifestations of ourselves that chase us in life at any instance,” Mai says.

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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of January 2023’ Spotify playlist.

The track is also featured in the best-of Spotify compilation Best Tracks of 2022.