MF Tomlinson shares ‘I’m On The Border’
MF Tomlinson offers a powerful new glimpse into his forthcoming album with the release of ‘I’m On The Border,’ a poetic reflection shaped by personal experience and broader political realities.
Drawn from a real-life period of uncertainty surrounding Tomlinson’s immigration status in the UK, ‘I’m On The Border’ is equal parts intimate and cinematic. Layered with piano, strings, synth bass, and field recordings from Chesil Beach, the song carries both beauty and tension. Processed drums evoke a battlefield, while delicate textures build a soundscape of fragility and resilience. What begins as a meditation on borders—political, emotional, existential—soon opens into a broader reflection on injustice and the quiet conviction of human connection.
“I began writing this song in 2014 during one of the worst periods of my life when I was fighting to earn the rights to continue to live in the UK. Lyrically, the song is purely about my personal experience, but as the recording progressed, I began to channel the incredible sadness I was feeling about the conflict that surrounds us into the arrangement.
“The experiences I’m describing in this song shone a light on how hidden, often invisible, the injustice of how our borders are controlled really was to so many around me. My case is the best-case example – the tip of the iceberg. I’m one of the lucky people who have been successful in gaining citizenship, for many it is impossible. I would love it if this could be a window into just how emotionally devastating these systems can be, to keep those who are in real peril closer in mind, to resist those who want to make our world smaller, and to remember just how lucky we are.”
‘I’m On The Border’ is out now. Die To Wake Up From A Dream arrives July 11.
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