Acclaimed songwriter and producer steps into the spotlight with a deeply personal collection of songs about grief, growth, self-acceptance, and finding meaning in life’s transitions.
Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer Tom Peyton releases his debut solo album, Thank You For My Name, a 12-track, 31-minute collection that transforms deeply personal experiences into thoughtful, witty, and emotionally resonant songwriting.
Drawing inspiration from artists such as Bo Burnham, Father John Misty, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Harry Nilsson, and Rex Orange County, Peyton blends singer-songwriter storytelling with elements of pop, jazz, and classical music. The result is a record that feels both intimate and expansive; filled with humor, vulnerability, and hard-earned perspective.
The album’s origins trace back to a pivotal moment in Peyton’s life. The title track, “Thank You For My Name,” was written in the immediate aftermath of his mother’s passing. At the time, despite a lifelong background as a musician, Peyton could barely play piano. Staying in his childhood home, he sat down at his mother’s piano and slowly worked out the song’s chord progression by ear.
“When I wrote the first song that became a part of this album, I had no idea that I was ever going to make solo music at all,” Peyton explains. “I wrote ‘Thank You For My Name’ the week after my mom died to try and process what I was feeling.”
What began as an act of grief gradually evolved into a creative transformation. Peyton dedicated himself to learning piano while continuing to write songs that explored the complexities of adulthood, identity, relationships, and self-reflection. During the pandemic, an abundance of creative solitude accelerated the process, resulting in dozens of demos and the beginnings of a cohesive artistic vision.
Though initially hesitant to release music under his own name, encouragement from trusted friends and collaborators helped Peyton embrace the project. He partnered with producer Ethan Shumaker, spending two years carefully crafting the recordings.
“We took our time and made sure that we weren’t done with any one song until we absolutely loved listening to it,” says Peyton.
The resulting album captures a period marked by profound change: the loss of a parent, evolving friendships, increased self-acceptance, and a newfound love of the piano. Throughout the record, Peyton examines the strange experience of getting older, the realization that the world remains largely the same while our relationship to it continually shifts.
“These songs started to show up in the wake of grief and growth,” Peyton says. “I’m trying to pay attention to feelings that maybe you don’t want to admit to yourself, and then say them in a song in a way that someone else might be able to hear. Laugh or cry. That’s what I’m going for.”
Track Listing
- Already Said Goodbye
- Let’s Move In Together
- Vases on Books (Interlude)
- A Little Depressing
- Thank You For My Name
- The More or Less
- Starting Now
- What Do You Say When I’m Not There
- The Hum of Everything (Interlude)
- Moment of Silence
- Some Other Life
- Rejoice (Outro)
About Tom Peyton
Tom Peyton is a singer, songwriter, producer, and visual artist based in Los Angeles and originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the past fifteen years, he has built an acclaimed career writing and producing music responsible for more than one billion streams.
His songwriting and production credits include work with Pitbull, Panic! At The Disco, Camila Cabello, Lizzo, Christina Aguilera, Icona Pop, Robin Schulz, Ashe, X Ambassadors, K. Flay, The Glorious Sons, and Arkells. He is also the vocalist of Fast Friends and has previously been a member of Wallpaper., Push to Talk, The Morning Benders, and The KGB.
Beyond music, Peyton is an accomplished visual artist, photographer, director, and creative producer. Thank You For My Name marks the culmination of years of personal growth, artistic exploration, and a lifelong relationship with music; his most personal work to date.
For fans of Bo Burnham, Father John Misty, Paul Simon, Dawes, Medium Build, Harry Nilsson, and Randy Newman, Thank You For My Name offers a poignant, funny, and deeply human reflection on loss, love, and the ongoing process of becoming yourself.
Find Tom Peyton: Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, Apple Music
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Danielle Holian | danielle.holian@decentmusicpr.com
NOTES TO EDITORS:
RUNTIME: 31 minutes, 46 seconds
FFO: Bo Burnham, Rex Orange County, Tom Petty, The Cardigans
GENRE(s): Singer/Songwriter, Pop, Jazz, Classical