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Mar 24, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by CJ Harvey

Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tom D’Agustino has returned following the dissolution of his previous venture, Active Bird Community. Now recording under the name Homeschool, D’Agustino will share his debut EP Homeschool: Book 1 next month.

The EP’s four tracks were recorded briefly before the Covid-19 pandemic struck and, though nominally they represent D’Agustino’s solo work, they are equally an effort of communal collaboration. Homeschool’s debut single “Satisfied” was followed with remixes courtesy of Jessica Lea Mayfield, Overcoats, and Billy Lemos and the full EP features Bartees Strange, Arlissa, and D’Agustino’s writing partner, Samia. D’Agustino has now returned with his newest single, “Smartest Man,” featuring Samia, premiering with Under the Radar.

Unsurprisingly, “Smartest Man” has a very similar feel to Samia’s excellent 2020 album, The Baby. Breezy, welcoming acoustic energy leads into soaring indie rock hooks, all amidst the earnest poeticism of D’Austino’s lyrics. The chorus is especially heartfelt as D’Agustino restlessly dreams of a life of excitement and meaning, singing “I wanna go diving/Or get struck by lightning/So I can feel the current in my hands/I wanna start a family/Just to see if they can stand me/They’ll know I’m not the smartest man.”

Meanwhile, Samia provides an aching counterpoint to D’Agustino, unpacking her side of the song’s relationship. Samia says of her contribution, “I learned so much about my identity as a songwriter playing, writing and touring with Tom. It was a huge honor to contribute a verse to this song and watch it grow over the past couple years. It really is invaluable to have this kind of collaborative relationship – ‘Smartest Man’ will always remind me of the afternoons we spent trading demos and gassing each other up!”

D’Agustino says of the track, “‘Smartest Man’ was written in 2019 with the help of the super-talented Samia. The song itself drifts between different meanings about responsibility, maturity, and the paradox of traditional forms of masculinity.”

D’Agustino continues, saying of the video, “...the music video for Smartest Man, co-written and directed by Nick D’Agostino, focuses on the vast expanse that exists between those in heterosexual romantic relationships. There is always miscommunication, misinterpretation, misinformation, exhausting gender roles, to the point where you start to wonder if the other person can even see you, if you can see them, if you are even sharing the same space, or if the relationship is an ever-fleeing construct that can never be reached.” Check out the song and video below and look for Homeschool: Book 1, coming April 23rd.