The Hypnotic Tora
From vocals to production, Tora lures us with their hypnotic sound and takes us to a dimension of love, lust and beauty. Thorne Davis on drums, Shaun Johnston on bass guitar, Jo Loewenthal on lead vocals, guitar, and samples, Jai Piccone on vocals and guitar, and Tobias Tunis-Plant on vocals and synthesiser.
Tora have one of the most alluring and powerful sounds - from vocals to production. What inspires your music and melodies?
Thank you for the huge compliment! Our music is inspired by our own feelings and experiences, which is partly why our sound tends to move around in lots of directions.
Photographer: Mish
There are four of you in the band - what is the creation process like? Does everyone have an equal say with the lyrics and musical approach?
There really is no clearly defined process for us, it’s forever evolving, but some songs are more collaborative than others. Usually whoever starts an idea, is the person with the creative vision for that idea, so that person will generally have a bit more say on the big decisions in that song. Sometimes we start ideas alone, sometimes all together, it is quite fluid. We just roll with the mood.
Who in the music scene has an impact on your creativity?
There are many artists that have impacted the way we view and create music, some more than others, but our flavors have been sourced from a diverse array of inspirational artists. For each of us the list is different, but me personally (Jo) I’ve been impacted by artists like James Blake, John Mayer, Bon Iver, Ry X, Frank Ocean, Anderson Paak, Galimatias, Glass Animals, Alt J, Bonobo, just to name a few. There are many many more.
What have been the biggest moments you have experienced as a band, thus far?
I think when we supported RÜFÜS DU SOL on their ‘Bloom' Australian album tour, playing at the iconic Riverstage in Brisbane in front of many thousands of people was a pretty high moment. However that could perhaps be topped by Falls Festival in Byron Bay on New Year’s Eve a few years back, when we closed the Forrest Stage around 5pm in the evening, the energy and heat in that tent almost blew the roof off.
Where can we expect to see you performing next?
We are busy working on plans for next year, people can expect to see us back on the circuit with new music in 2019.
Finally, what are your favourite types of cake?
Oh tricky question, probably carrot cake or pecan pie.
Stay up-to-date with Tora on Instagram at @toramusic or on Tora Music
Cover photo photographed by Sally Patti.
