(May 7, 2025) Minnesota-born singer-songwriter Junior Thomas aka Thomas McDowall, the proud frontman for the Jr. Thomas & the Volcanos, grew up appreciating ska, rocksteady and reggae. With two independently-released albums – 2015’s Beware and 2018’s Rockstone – the Southern California collective aspired to capture the “golden era” of Jamaican music. But for the next act, Thomas is going solo and focusing on yet another genre’s golden era. And this time, he’s trekking to the other side of the country to make that happen.
Enter Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love and the home of Gamble & Huff, Philly soul and Questlove. It’s also the home of Eraserhood Sound, a dedicated two-man production army anchored by Maxwell Perla and Vincent John. Nestled in the infamous Callowhill neighborhood where the late auteur David Lynch was so inspired by its twisted surroundings to incorporate it in his 1977 cult classic film Eraserhead, this musical combo – formerly with NYC’s Truth and Soul Records – fully operate in a studio that originally was built out for Questlove.
Recently Thomas took a pilgrimage to Eraserhood Sound and within four days began working with the production pair on a collection of individual songs Thomas cooked up. “The Eraserhood sessions were fueled by focus, hard work, and pure determination,” Thomas confesses. “In the late summer of 2023, I approached Vince and Max from Eraserhood with the vision of making an album—despite not having a single song written. We booked a winter session, and I spent the next four months writing.”
And like any music great who’s jumped in the Philly waters, whether it’s Elton John , David Bowie, Stevie Wonder or the hot list of today’s biggest names including the likes of Ariana Grande, Silk Sonic and Florence + the Machine, a soulful road trip to Philly always is always a safe bet.
A full project birthed from those Eraserhood sessions is on the way, but fresh out the gate is the lead single of “Can’t Leave You Alone.” Thomas grew up appreciating funk-soul music from the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. That adulation for soulfulness is living proof on the sturdy track. Alongside his keyboardist Raynier Jacildo (The Volcanos, The Black Keys, CeeLo Green), Thomas leads the way with blue-eyed soul vocals backed by a glorious rhythmic performance blessed with old-school guitar strumming, jazzy drumming and a heavenly flute climax. There’s also more of a Bosco Mann-Sharon Jones-Dap Kings sound here, tracing its nostalgia soul fingerprints into the depths of its warm analog recording process.
In anticipation for the forthcoming solo albumlanding this fall via DeepMatter Records, the lead single “Can’t Leave You Alone” is getting the SoulTracks spotlight with an exclusive World Premiere. The track drops on all digital and streaming platforms on May 8th, but can be heard for your listening pleasure right here. Check it out and let us know if you can’t leave it alone.
By J Matthew Cobb
