There comes a point in life when the excitement of new beginnings becomes increasingly difficult to separate from the anxiety of leaving things behind. Careers, relationships, children, homes and the seemingly endless responsibilities of adulthood have a habit of arriving all at once. For Melbourne-born musician Tom Iansek, known under his solo moniker #1 Dads, these growing pains form the emotional backbone of his fourth studio album, Every Little Fire.
As one half of indie outfit Big Scary, alongside Jo Syme, and one half of No Mono with Tom Snowdon, Iansek has spent the better part of two decades establishing himself as one of Australia’s most quietly accomplished independent musicians. His production work with artists including Maple Glider, The Paper Kites and Lisa Mitchell has only further cemented his reputation as a versatile and adventurous musical mind.
But a lot has changed since 2020’s Golden Repair. Iansek has become a father of two, uprooted his family from Melbourne and relocated to London, and found himself navigating the competing demands of parenthood, partnership and artistic fulfilment. It’s this period of upheaval that informs Every Little Fire, a 12-track collection that explores the anxieties and quiet triumphs of adulthood through a wonderfully eclectic combination of indie rock, neo-soul, piano balladry and occasionally eccentric electronic experimentation.
And while the record is often preoccupied with life’s uncertainties, the music itself is rarely short of confidence.
The album opens with the wonderfully intimate “Evaluation Period”, a track that feels as though we’ve wandered into the studio before anyone has noticed us. The ticking of a click track, distorted acoustic guitar, creaking chairs and the ambient sounds of the room establish a hypnotic, understated introduction before the crack of a snare drum snaps everything into focus.
What follows is a catchy, energetic indie-pop number that moves at a head-nodding jog. There’s a delightful push and pull between the track’s optimism and its underlying apprehension, with Iansek acknowledging the difficulties of embracing a new beginning without dragging the baggage of the past along for the ride.
It’s rather like a cold beer: infinitely enjoyable, refreshing and not entirely without bitterness.
There’s also an immediate sense of curiosity in the production. Electronic textures occasionally weave their way through the indie-rock instrumentation, while the arrangement feels loose and lived-in without ever sacrificing its momentum. It’s an excellent opener, and a promising indication of the musical exploration to come.
That promise is almost immediately fulfilled by “Already Something”, which trades the opener’s indie sensibilities for a wonderfully brass-tinged slice of neo-soul. It’s also one of the album’s finest moments.
There’s a distinctly metropolitan jazziness to the arrangement, with warmth and rhythmic swagger that feels effortlessly sophisticated. The chorus is wonderfully punchy, its rhythmic vocal exclamations providing an infectious counterpoint to the elegant horn arrangements. Even the pre-chorus has enough melodic character to stand on its own.
The song is a celebration of enduring love, written as a tribute to Iansek’s long-term partner and the strength that comes from weathering life’s difficulties together. Rather than romanticising the honeymoon period, Iansek finds something far more meaningful in the resilience of a relationship that has already endured its share of challenges.
When he sings, “We built it, we own it, our blood and tears”, there’s an unmistakable sense of pride in the sentiment.
The brass arrangements, including a terrific saxophone contribution from Gus Rigby, only elevate that feeling. There’s something almost physical about the warmth of the song. It feels like an embrace, a celebration of togetherness and the reassuring comfort of knowing someone has your back.
It’s a brilliant second track, and an early highlight.
“Hard Questions” offers something of a counterargument to that romantic optimism, slowing proceedings into a soulful piano ballad that gradually reaches towards more expansive, almost symphonic heights.
Thematically, “Hard Questions” is the other side of the coin to its predecessor. Where “Already Something” celebrates the strength of commitment, this song examines the everyday uncertainty that comes with maintaining it. The doubts, the difficult decisions and the uncomfortable recognition that we aren’t always the best versions of ourselves.
What struck me was how interesting Iansek’s voice is.
He isn’t a singer who relies on overwhelming power or technical theatrics. His voice has an almost brittle quality, living somewhere on the edge of fragility, but always remaining remarkably assured. His delivery is almost like a strengthened whisper carrying the weight of a yell. A songwriter in command of their material and sense of self, however, doesn’t need to be Nina Simone to make a song feel deeply affecting, and Iansek understands that better than most.
It’s also surprisingly chameleonic. Across just three tracks, he’s moved from the bright indie-pop of the opener to the soulful exuberance of “Already Something” and now into a dramatic piano-led arrangement that, in its more expansive moments, recalls the emotional sweep of something like The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.
The mood grows more contemplative with “Every Time”, another piano-led number that initially feels considerably more subdued than its predecessors.
There’s a lingering melancholy to the arrangement, and for a moment the song threatens to drift into familiar ballad territory. Then, just as my attention begins to wander, a beautifully unexpected whistle cuts through the atmosphere. It’s almost as if Ennio Morricone has wandered into the studio for an impromptu cameo, with the song taking on a distinctive cowboy quality.
The distinctly cinematic flourish evokes the lonely, windswept landscapes of a Sergio Leone western, lending the arrangement an entirely different emotional dimension. It’s a wonderful little moment, and a reminder of Iansek’s ability to introduce something unexpected without disturbing the delicate balance of a song.
Co-written with Jordan White of BrailleFace, the track explores the uncomfortable intersection of longing, infatuation and emotional imbalance. Its understated piano and sweeping instrumental passages provide plenty of room for those feelings to breathe.
“Love No Light” continues the album’s more dramatic tendencies, pairing almost operatic piano chords with a wonderfully slippery bassline and the gentle tip-tapping of percussion. There’s a restless quality to the instrumentation that complements the lyrical uncertainty, with the bass providing a welcome sense of movement beneath the heavier piano arrangement.
By this point, however, the record begins to settle into a slightly more familiar rhythm.
That’s not necessarily a criticism of the individual compositions, but the opening run is so immediately engaging and stylistically adventurous that the middle stretch doesn’t always sustain quite the same momentum. The songs remain thoughtfully constructed and beautifully produced, even when they aren’t quite as immediate.
Fortunately, Iansek has a habit of introducing an unexpected musical flourish just when things threaten to become too comfortable.
“More Than Fish” is perhaps the clearest example. Described by Iansek as the album’s palate cleanser, it’s a curious little diversion built around simple keys, repeated vocals and occasional stabbing instrumental accents.
There’s an almost voice-memo quality to the composition, as though we’re hearing a particularly promising idea before it’s been subjected to the usual rigours of studio refinement. Of course, the production is considerably more considered than that description suggests, but there’s something charming about its deliberately unfinished character.
Its central message is similarly uncomplicated: there’s time for love, time for trust and more to life than whatever happens to be missing from it. Sometimes a song doesn’t need to do much more than that.
Photo by Vanessa Bartel
If the record’s middle section occasionally threatens to become too comfortable, “Tonight, Alive” provides a welcome jolt of energy.
Opening with a peculiar, almost banjo-like plucked instrumental figure, the track quickly introduces fuzzy synthesiser textures and a wonderfully insistent, pulsing drumbeat that wouldn’t feel entirely out of place on a dancefloor.
It’s a terrific example of the album’s genre-crossing ambitions. The folk-like plucked instrumentation, electronic production and Iansek’s characteristically delicate vocals shouldn’t necessarily coexist as comfortably as they do, yet the result is one of the record’s most playful arrangements.
The latter stages of Every Little Fire continue this musical exploration, with the retro synths and inspired drums of “Nothing Less” offering another helping of neo-soul goodness. “On A Winter’s Day”, meanwhile, strips things back to a beautifully restrained piano arrangement, with Georgia Potter’s delicate vocal accompaniment lending the track a welcome tenderness.
“Prophetic” closes proceedings with an infectious vocal refrain and swelling strings, bringing a satisfying sense of grandeur to an album that has frequently found its greatest emotional weight in the smallest musical gestures.
Iansek’s curiosity as a producer ensures there’s almost always something worth listening out for. Whether it’s a peculiar instrumental flourish, an unexpected rhythmic detour or a beautifully understated melody, Every Little Fire remains an engaging listen.
Throughout Every Little Fire, Iansek demonstrates a remarkable understanding of how to arrange music around the character of his own voice.
Everything seems to swim around his vocals, with each instrument instinctively knowing when to step forward and when to retreat. The piano is beautifully articulated, the percussion consistently tasteful, and the occasional bursts of brass, strings, synthesiser (and whistling!) lend the arrangements an expressive quality without overwhelming the compositions beneath them.
Produced and mixed by Iansek himself, with contributions from a small circle of collaborators, the album also benefits from a refreshingly unvarnished approach to recording. Rather than polishing every imperfection out of existence, Iansek embraces the character of the performances, allowing the occasional rough edge to become part of the music’s personality.
There’s also a genuine sense of adventure in the songwriting. Iansek is clearly comfortable moving between genres, but rarely does the experimentation feel like an exercise in novelty. When a track doesn’t immediately reach for a pop hook, there’s usually something else interesting enough to justify your attention.
The middle and latter stretches occasionally lack the immediacy of the opening songs, and for all its stylistic versatility, the album remains firmly rooted in its own musical sensibilities. Its appeal may ultimately be strongest among those already receptive to Iansek’s understated approach.
But perhaps that’s also part of its charm. Every Little Fire is a record that feels remarkably comfortable in its own skin. It’s soulful, adventurous, occasionally eccentric and consistently sincere.
And in an album concerned with the countless little fires that adulthood has a habit of lighting beneath our feet, Iansek makes a convincing case that not every one of them needs to burn us down.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Every Little Fire releases Friday the 16th via now. Pre-save HERE
Photo credit: Vanessa Bartel
#1 Dads – Solo Dad Mode 2026 Australian Tour Dates
SUNSHINE COAST, QLD – 21 OCT – Mapleton Pub (AA) – TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
SUNSHINE COAST, QLD – 22 OCT – Mapleton Pub (AA) – TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
BRISBANE, QLD – 23 OCT – Junk Bar – TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
MURWILLUMBAH, NSW – 24 OCT – The Citadel (AA) – TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
Mt GLORIOUS, QLD – 25 OCT – Elm House (AA) – TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
BRISBANE, QLD – 28 OCT – Season Three – TICKETS
ELTHAM, NSW – 29 OCT – The Eltham (AA) – TICKETS
BELLINGEN, NSW – 30 OCT – Bellingen Golf Club (AA) – TICKETS
YAMBA, NSW – 31 OCT – Lela’s (AA) – TICKETS
OLD BAR, NSW – 1 NOV – Flow Bar – (1pm) TICKETS
SYDNEY, NSW – 4 NOV – Lansdowne Hotel – TICKETS
SYDNEY, NSW – 5 NOV – Lansdowne Hotel – TICKETS
MAITLAND, NSW – 6 NOV – Grand Junction Hotel – TICKETS
PORT KEMBLA, NSW – 7 NOV – The Servo (AA) – TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
HOBART, TAS – 12 NOV – Altar – TICKETS
GEELONG, VIC – 13 NOV – Church (AA) – TICKETS
BEECHWORTH, VIC – 14 NOV – Old Stone Hall (AA) – TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
FRANKSTON, VIC – 15 NOV – Young St Tavern – TICKETS
MELBOURNE, VIC – 19 NOV – Brunswick Ballroom – TICKETS
MELBOURNE, VIC – 21 NOV – Brunswick Ballroom – TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
CANBERRA, ACT – 26 NOV – Gang Gang (AA) – TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
ADELAIDE, SA – 27 NOV – Grace Emily – (6pm) TICKETS
ADELAIDE, SA – 27 NOV – Grace Emily – (9pm) TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
FREMANTLE, WA – 28 NOV – Mojos – TICKETS [SOLD OUT]
FREMANTLE, WA – 29 NOV – Mojos – (6pm) TICKETS
(AA) – Licensed, All Ages.
