Tea Leaf

"A writer of fantastically beautiful, intimate, and poignant songs." - ​Saltlake

Tea Leaf ​is the solitary work of Tom Lee; also known from Manchester trio, ​Hora Douse​. But unlike the emo-punk stylings of his band, the solo output removes the bombast, and replaces it with a devastating tenderness - not far removed from the likes of Elliott Smith & Phoebe Bridgers.

“His songwriting is mildly reminiscent of that of Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes. Edged at times, that conveys a depth to the stories that he sings.” - ​Aaron Rose, ManGoneBlog

Despite touring the ‘DIY’ circuit a multitude of times over the last few years (playing shows with Tim Kasher [Cursive/The Good Life], Steven Page [Barenaked Ladies], The Hotelier, Listener, Laura Stevenson, Crywank, Alcoa, and so on), the only evidence of Tea Leaf’s existence has been sporadic smattering of recordings circulated every so often, and a demo tape from 2013. Upon listening to his ‘first’ release, the reason for its delay becomes apparent and understandable.

Disappear​ is a stark collection of tracks that intimately chronicles Tom’s depression, and its subsequent effect on personal relationships - detailing at times, raw accounts of anxiety and loneliness, while addressing themes such as panic episodes, self-harm, and suicide. There is a softness to these recordings that could be disguised as comforting, with sparse vocal-acoustic guitar arrangements, punctured only by the concise lyrical narration.

Despite its bleakness, there is an undercurrent of self-awareness, compassion and reflection; the songs were clearly written as a private emotional channel, but its journal-like offering allows listeners an opportunity to relate, connect, and hopefully, feel; hope.