TOM LARK

Tom Lark is the original musical project of Shannon Fowler, who also releases material under the Shannon Matthew Vanya pseudonym. Where SMV allows for pop indulgence, Tom Lark is an outlet for the artist’s indie sensibilities. Returning from a 7-year hiatus in 2023, with his debut full-length record Brave Star, Fowler returned to his first love – which turns out to be making sunburnt psychedelic folk fit for sensitive cowboys to meander and philosophise to. Brave Star has made waves in New Zealand & across the globe with nominations for the APRA Silver Scroll Award for Live Wires, Finalist for the Taite Music Prize and finalist for Folk Artist of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards. In 2023, he wowed audiences at Going Global in a crowd-favourite set, and earned himself an invite to showcase at The Great Escape 2024.

Fowler was born in Ōtautahi and relocated to Tāmaki Makaurau in 2012, after a stint recording in Berlin. He works from his Okie Dokie Studio, situated just off Karangahape Road. There he has produced, co-written and engineered tracks with a delightful collection of collaborators, including Georgia Lines, The Fuzzy Robes, Merk, Randa, A.C. Freazy, Belladonna, and the mysterious Rick Shrimp.

"Brave Star is an album adrift on a sea of memory bliss, cleverly produced and like a sonic mood-piece. It's an album which gives dream pop a very good name." – Graham Reid, Elsewhere / The Listener

"Brave Star is the work of a well-rounded songwriter, as comfortable in the pop realm as he is crafting country-inflected folk-rock tunes, casual and confessional in equal measure." – Tony Stamp, RNZ The Sampler