Tobacco, the mysterious frontman of psychedelic/electronic indie pop group Black Moth Super Rainbow, crafts sunlit atmospheres from analog synths and tape machines while based in Pennsylvania. His solo output draws on many of the same approaches that shape his band work yet tilts toward a darker, more splintered sensibility. Blending hip-hop, electro, and experimental rock with singing often shrouded by vocoder, the songs emerge gritty and tape-warped while still brimming with pop hooks. After guiding Black Moth Super Rainbow through four albums in the 2000s, he launched his solo career with 2008’s Fucked Up Friends. Remaining active with the band, he later delivered the grimy 2014 album Ultima II Massage and the unexpectedly sleek 2020 release Hot Wet & Sassy. He has also partnered with Zackey Force Funk under the name Demon Queen and with Aesop Rock as Malibu Ken.
Born Tom Fec in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, he started creating music while in high school during the mid-’90s. His earliest project, Allegheny White Fish, ran from 1996 to 2000, after which he joined satanstompingcaterpillars until 2002. Black Moth Super Rainbow formed in 2003 and issued material on the band’s own 70s Gymnastics Record Co. Their debut, Falling Through a Field, gathered highlights from the satanstompingcaterpillars era. In 2005 the group signed with Graveface and put out the EP Lost, Picking Flowers in the Woods. Steady touring and fresh releases gradually expanded their audience, with 2007’s Dandelion Gum widely viewed as a peak achievement.
Tobacco’s first solo full-length, Fucked Up Friends, appeared on Anticon in 2008. Two years later he returned with Maniac Meat, also on Anticon, featuring guest vocals from Beck amid an array of unusual sounds. He stayed productive in the following years, contributing to Black Moth Super Rainbow’s 2012 album Cobra Juicy, remixing White Zombie’s “Thunder Kiss ’65,” and producing Demon Queen’s Exorcise Tape. After moving to Ghostly International, he issued his third solo album, Ultima II Massage, in 2014. Subsequent sessions stalled when he encountered a creative block and set music aside completely for a year, unplugging all equipment. Eventually he regained momentum and reverted to an earlier method of capturing tracks on cassette before loading them into a sampler, resulting in Sweatbox Dynasty, released by Ghostly in August 2016.
Tobacco’s Rad Cult label issued Ripe & Majestic in 2017, a 24-track collection of outtakes and instrumentals drawn from productions and remixes created for other artists. In 2018 he formed the duo Malibu Ken with rapper Aesop Rock, who had previously appeared on Fucked Up Friends, and their self-titled debut came out on Rhymesayers the following year. Tobacco rejoined Ghostly in 2020 with a cover of Eric Carmen’s hit “Hungry Eyes,” followed by the full-length Hot Wet & Sassy, a more pop-oriented set that included a guest appearance by Trent Reznor.
