Cornwall indie label Krautpop! announces the release of its first Köln-based artist since the label’s early 2000s beginnings, teaming with Fugue State to present Tom Ashforth’s new LP ‘They Don’t Make Them Like That Anymore,’ out March 19, 2025. The record marks a return to the city where the label first began, now reframed through Ashforth’s singular pop lens.
The lead single, “Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich,” is out now on Bandcamp. Ashforth describes it as “A nightmare reimagining of the 1960s bad boy band in a chorus line feel.” The track blends theatrical flair with melodic precision, bending retro imagery into something sharp and slightly surreal.
Born in North-East England and now based in Germany, Ashforth has spent two decades collaborating long-distance with university friend Paul Bareham. Bareham sends lyrics from England, by post, email and text, and Ashforth transforms them into intricate musical worlds populated by neurotics, criminals and control freaks.
‘They Don’t Make Them Like That Anymore’ came to Ashforth in a dream. The LP unfolds with mellotrons, vocal harmonies, strings and brass, balancing comfort and unease in equal measure. It’s a record that refuses predictability while staying deeply melodic, proof that some artists still write by their own rules.