New to our blog, Tom Woodward is a genre-blending folk artist that is worthy of attention.
By Graeme Smith
A growing presence on the live scene, he has made notable appearances at the National Folk Festival (Australia), The Multicultural Fringe Festival, as well as landing opening slots for Abbe May, The Drones, and Mikelangelo & the Black Sea Gentlemen.
The release of his latest album, Come Come Karma, feels like a good moment to be discovering him. It’s a collection that’s full of thought and craft and combines classic sounds into something that feels organic and relatable.
To tease his new album, Woodward released single Phoney Messiah in November 2025. The track serves as an early highlight on the record, showing us that his sound is more than just folk. It blends rock, baroque, and country to create something that feels rich and meaningful.
Other previous singles like If You Wanna Stay Alive and Sails In Your Heart also give a strong account of themselves. The former is an urgent, finger-picked wonder with cynical, ironic lyrics that comment on the darker side of humanity. The latter feels more triumphant thanks to its swagger and cathartic honesty.
Elsewhere, Termination Day starts that album off with a Status Quo-esque swing, Jack & Jill offers a rare moment of quiet reflection, title track Come Come Karma brings a sense of the cinematic through its driving piano melody, Fly Back To You has some cinematic experimentation and striking poetry, Woe Is Me rocks hard, and Strong Song closes things with a final moment of moodiness.
Narrative drives the album, with each track stating a strong point of view and emotive tale. Much of it touches on the familiar folk tropes, yet Woodward makes them feel fresh through his singular perspective. Themes of scepticism, authority, belief, and irony run through it all.
While folk is the core of the album, it’s more than just that. Woodward’s compositions are warm, lush, edgy and have plenty of oomph that you might not always expect from the genre. He’s doing things distinctively different and I enjoyed his new album immensely. If you like The Felice Brothers, Bob Dylan, The War On Drugs, or any act with thoughtful lyricism, then Tom Woodward is for you.
You can keep up to date with all he’s doing by following him on Spotify, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook
Come Come Karma is out now, and you can listen to it below.
