Tom Iansek has lived a lot of life in recent years. One half of Big Scary and No Mono, the independent producer and songwriter has returned to #1 Dads, his solo project, for the first time since 2020’s Golden Repair.
In that time, Iansek has become an actual #1 Dad to two young children and relocated his family from Melbourne/Naarm to London. “It has been an insane, wonderful, chaotic, intense and joyful period of my life,” he says. “And this album has been born of these experiences, in direct and indirect ways.”

Pieced together in small DIY studios between commitments as a partner and father in a new country, Every Little Fire wrestles with the realities of carving out peace and structure amid upheaval. From the pocket-sized Motown of ‘Already Something’ to the slow-burning drama ‘Love No Light’ and soft, new wave touches to ‘Nothing Less’ and ‘Post Card’, the results hum with #1 Dads’ signature sonic intimacy, understated innovation and lyrical honesty.

“While the songs were born of fire, the album - over time - became a tranquil place for me,” says Iansek. “As the months and years making this music bled into another, and I lost touch with the rabid neediness to finish things quickly and show the world, the record became mostly about me spending time doing what I love most.”

Working with London-based musician Chris Hyson and long-term collaborators like Gus Rigby, Georgia Potter and Isaac Barter, Iansek produced and mixed Every Little Fire, animating these songs with torchlit piano, lush strings, understated guitars and his own masterful whistle and command of melody.

At the centre of Every Little Fire is a voice that can be obstinate or apologetic, filled with grief or gratitude, but more often reaches for hope. It’s the sound of an artist asking his nearest and dearest to have a little faith - to see the possibility of adventure, rather than only the hardship of change.