Tom Read Returns After 5-Year Hiatus With New Single, Music Video "Dead Things To Life;" Upcoming EP 'Lament' Out April 20

Tom Read "Dead Things To Life"
Cover for Tom Read's 2018 single "Dead Things To Life." |

Following a five-year hiatus, UK worship leader and artist Tom Read is back with the new single "Dead Things To Life" from his upcoming EP Lament, which is slated for release on April 20. Written with Ben Cantelon and Joel Wardle, the song originally appeared on Worship Central's 2014 album Set Apart

Featuring Read's authentic and honest lyrical style, along with his use of falsetto, the re-recording is brought new energy. "Dead Things To Life" was written after the miraculous birth of a friend's child, a baby that stunned medical professionals who had earlier advised termination during the pregnancy.

Reflecting on the meaning behind the song, Read says, "This song is a prayer for those times when it seems hopeless in the world's eyes - a prayer that God would breathe his life on us."

He explains that the upcoming album is an exploration of its title name, Lament, an often misunderstood and under-discussed expression that's ever-present in scripture, yet no so much in the modern worship language of the Church.

"After struggling for years with anxiety and dealing with the grief of losing a loved one, I began to write songs to help me process how I was feeling," explains Read. "The more honest I was with my songs, the more I felt I was able to worship authentically." 

Songs on the Lament features co-writes by many well-known songwriters, including Martin Smith and Worship Central's Tim Hughes and Josh Gauton, but the album promises that it is the fragile and authentic heart-cry of Read himself that will resonate with listeners.

Relocating from Hong Kong to the UK, Read has become part of St. Aldates Church in Oxford. In the years since his chart-topping 2013 worship album Compass, he has worked extensively in the secular music market, becoming an in-demand songwriter and producer whilst releasing his own music with the CHARIOTS project.

For more information about Tom Read, please visit his official websiteFacebookTwitter, and InstagramLamentis available for pre-order and streaming here.

You can watch the new music video for "Dead Things To Life" below.