“I still don’t feel like a musician,” said Tommy Oeffling. “I only feel like a musician when I’m responding to emails.”
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It’s a funny thing to hear from an artist who, having recently graduated from Marquette University, has already released seven albums. Oeffling is not new to music, but his artistic career is one that’s developed with more of a shrug than fastidious dedication. That will be put to the test with his latest record, “Neighbors,” out Oct. 30. As a born-and-bred DIY musician, Oeffling’s “Neighbors” will be his first record on a label (22Twenty) and his first with real promotional backing.
But he isn’t sweating things too much. Since graduating, Oeffling has spent the past few years student teaching with the intent of becoming a social studies teacher. He’s always quietly self-released music, but it’s only now, after a gentle nudge from two strangers, that he’s (reluctantly) starting to think of this as a career.
“I was always scared about actually being a musician because it’s always been a hobby that I’ve held sacred,” Oeffling said. “I love doing it. It still hasn’t hit me that this is my job.”
Oeffling said he grew up lucky. His parents always supported what he and his sisters were interested in. While the girls were drawn to sports, Oeffling was drawn to music, with WXRT being a staple in their home. Eventually, he started writing his own songs, which he described as “absolutely terrible.”
“And then out of nowhere, one day, it just started getting better and better,” he said, and soon those songs found a home online.
Life kept moving. Like any other young person, he followed the standard beats: graduate high school, go to college, pick a major.
But music was never too far from his mind, and as he continued to create, he continued to release. It wasn’t until a show at Beat Kitchen that things took a turn. As Oeffling’s father worked the merch stand, two older fans asked him, “Is your son really serious about the teacher thing?” And as he recalled the story to Oeffling, he told his son, “You should give (music) a real shot for a bit.”
So he did.
“That was the first time I’d ever actually considered going into music,” Oeffling added.
Despite his reservations, Oeffling said working with a label for the release of “Neighbors” has been positive. Oeffling maintained creative control (which eventually led to a sprawling seven-minute track) and only had to negotiate on promotion strategy, for which he’s traditionally had none.
“Neighbors” also marks a philosophical shift in Oeffling’s creative process. In his earlier work, Oeffling insisted on sticking to emotional truth. “But with the new album, the whole point was that none of it was true, and that opened it up a ton,” he said. “Once I started writing lyrics and didn’t have to worry about talking about myself, it was so much easier.”
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Oeffling described “Neighbors” as something of a themed record about the Milwaukee neighborhood of his alma mater.
“I kind of hate concept albums,” Oeffling admitted. “I think they suck a lot of the time if they’re done poorly. So I didn’t want to tell a story throughout the album, but each song is kind of supposed to give the mood or thoughts of a different time of day. There’s no plot at all. It just kind of tells stories about what people are like in the neighborhood. Nothing crazy.”
Oeffling humbly downplays the appeal of his music, which has a familiar, early 2000s aesthetic that sounds indebted to the spirit of Yo La Tengo and Broken Social Scene, as well as contemporaries like Alex G. It’s charismatic, warm, memorable music that may have been crafted as the soundtrack for a neighborhood, but also sounds like the soundtrack to your life. The single “Daily on Eggshells” rumbles in your heart, with a steady rhythm that traverses and delights the ear from start to finish. “Make it Later,” crafted with poetic lyricism, is a clear album standout, a near-masterpiece of a song that turns a listener from curious to lifelong fan. “Grab Your Cameras,” the record’s closer, is a loud, propulsive, reverb-laden fever dream in the best possible way.
But Oeffling’s not sweating it, whether the record breaks out or falls through the cracks.
“I haven’t had time to think about what I want,” Oeffling admitted. “I’m really just happy seeing what happens. If I’m not happy with it anymore, I’ll just be a social studies teacher, and I’m pumped for that. I love teaching, and I love music too. I’d rather just be happy with my life.”
Update: This story has been changed to correct information about Oeffling’s student teaching.
Britt Julious is a freelance critic.