In his breakthrough single “100LL,” Tom Tippin doesn’t just pen a love song, he takes it off the runway and into the wild blue yonder. Combining the scarce pleasures of folk earnestness, pop charm, and just enough rock grit, Tippin makes a song that’s half heart and half altitude.
Co-created with Michael Guillot, “100LL” is the first offering from Thoroughbred, Tippin’s long-awaited debut album. An intimate and expansive song, it employs the metaphor of flight, which he and his real-life girlfriend also happen to be fans of, to chart the emotional geography of love, partnership, and trust. The title, a witty salute to 100 low lead aviation fuel, is never less than subtle and serves as the heart of a relationship forged through dual adventure. Tippin’s voice reels you in warm, grounded, and just a little bit weathered, like someone who’s lived the stories he’s singing about. The production balances polish and rawness, defining crisp guitars and airy synths that share room to breathe with the lyrics. It’s a song that feels just as comfortable on a road trip playlist or bouncing off the walls of a tiny room where each word counts.
The storytelling is what makes “100LL” sing. Tippin doesn’t grasp for clichés, he grasps for the truth. Lines taken directly from aviation become poetic meditations on risk, commitment, and the delight of chasing something or someone worth flying for.
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