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Jun 23, 2022 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Tracy Maurice

For years now, Montreal-based drummer Tommy Crane has made a name for himself in the worlds of jazz, indie and electronica, contributing to records from Aaron Parks, Charlotte Greve, Becca Stevens, The Briars of North America, and Half Waif. That expansive set of influences and talents is coming together on his forthcoming debut LP, We’re All Improvisers Now, due out tomorrow, June 24th. For his debut album, Crane unearthed an array of sounds from across the spectrum of jazz, ambient music, and electronica, joyously blurring the boundaries between acoustic and synthetic styles.

Crane has spent the year teasing the record, releasing a string of tracks including “Nordique Americana (Pt. 1),” “Curated Reality,” and “We’re All Improvisers Now.” Today, ahead of the record’s full release, Crane is sharing a final track from the album, “Shimo,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Shimo” offers a gorgeous showcase for Crane’s intimately textural production and boundary-blurring instrumental style. At moments the track leans into the transcendent ambient washes of artists like Jon Hopkins, while at others it hints towards the grandeur of big stage indie acts like Arcade Fire. It captures a striking balance between crystalline, tranquil synth soundscapes and propulsive, glitchy rhythms, veering between them with effortless sense of ease.

Crane says of the track, “I improvised on the drum kit using silent drum heads and sensory percussion triggers that I set to activate glitchy synth sounds; the synth part now tethered to the driving yet svelte drum groove. The tune is one of the shortest and most compact on the album and made me think of my first trip to Japan, and the endless hours I’d spent walking around the Tokyo prefecture of Shimo (Shimokitazawa) in awe of all the tiny and incredibly intricate shops.”

Check out the song below. We’re All Improvisers Now is out June 24th via Whirlwind Recordings.