Tongues of Fire Stays Loyal to Underground Atlanta

Emma Swales

For most musicians, their primary goals are to generate fame, make money and establish a name for themselves in the industry. These artists work to craft music that hits high on the charts and racks up millions of listens on streaming platforms. Many have been known to measure overall success with status, and creating music has seemed to become merely a stepping stone to getting a ticket to Hollywood.

For Atlanta native Lowell Hobbs, being a musician means something deeper. Hobbs sees music as a passion to pursue and not just a way to gain popularity, and success can mean leaving an impact on just one person. He followed his devotion to music and created Tongues of Fire, a post-punk, noise-rock band striving to create a heavy and hard-hitting sound that leaves an unforgettable influence on its audience.

In 2017, Hobbs traveled from his hometown to Asheville, N.C., where he met drummer Eli Raymer filling in for a local band. Raymer shared his passion for heavy hard-hitting music, and together they started crafting the backbone to what would soon become Tongues of Fire. 

“In college, I started traveling and meeting people from the music scene and that’s when the band started to come together,” said Hobbs. “I found a partner and began creating what I have always wanted to make. 

“The name Tongues of Fire is actually from the Bible,” continued Hobbs. “I was in church with my mom and I heard the name and thought ‘That would be a tight-ass band name.’ I just kind of kept that in the back pocket of my mind for a while and now here we are. I am making heavy music with a heavy name.”

Hobbs and Raymer teamed up and released the band’s first self-titled EP in 2017. After noticing its audience grow, Tongues of Fire started working on releasing more songs and experimented with new ways to make music. 

“I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to make music,” said Hobbs. “I used to work on Audacity and just use drum beats and keyboard to get the ideas out. Once I started to get more people on board, I started writing stuff out and sending it to the band to get their ideas. 

“We jam on it for a while and eventually go into the studio with some rough ideas and figure out how to put together all of the pieces,” continued Hobbs. “The process became easier as we put out more music and it really helped shape our overall sound by working together as a team.”

After many albums, EPs, and singles the band successfully established a niche sound and became a well-known name in Underground Atlanta. Hobbs shared that the band isn’t stopping anytime soon and good things are in the works. Tongues of Fire released its newest single, “Burn” earlier this year, and announced that more music and tour dates are on the way. 

Hobbs explained that with the help of his band, Tongues of Fire developed a new genre that re-introduced the roots of hard rock and although fame began to peak on his horizon, he stayed humble and focused solely on bringing music to his loyal audience with local Atlanta performances and basement shows. 

“I do like playing for smaller venues and younger people who still have enthusiasm for life,” said Hobbs. “We had a ton of house shows when we started and we still occasionally do them, even though we should just focus on touring. Those shows have the best audiences and people love to get wild. 

“That’s when I feel the most accomplished,” continued Hobbs. “When I see people really loving the things I create and just living in that moment, it makes me feel like I really left an impact on some people. Even with touring and new labels, that is all I ever asked for. My niche, hardcore audience is all I need.”