London-based producer and composer Tom VR returns with a new double single, “Mag Fields” and “Unlocked Love,” offering another glimpse into his forthcoming album Don’t Know How Fast I’m Moving Until I Hit Something, due September 18. The two tracks capture the tension at the heart of the project, moving between euphoric club energy, ambient textures, and the emotional experiences that have shaped Tom VR’s most ambitious release to date.
Built through an ongoing exchange between the studio and the stage, Don’t Know How Fast I’m Moving Until I Hit Something reflects an artist increasingly influenced by the unpredictable nature of live performance. “Mag Fields” began as a collection of loops in Tom VR’s live set before a performance at Magnetic Fields Festival in India ultimately pushed him to finish the track. Its climactic second half was developed directly from an improvisation performed onstage, preserving the spontaneous energy of the moment within the finished production.
That relationship with live audiences extends throughout the album. Field recordings captured during performances appear between tracks, functioning as sonic snapshots of the spaces and audiences that helped shape the music. Rather than treating the live environment as separate from the creative process, Tom VR incorporates it directly into the album, blurring the boundary between composition and performance.
“Unlocked Love” showcases another side of the forthcoming project. More immediate and melodic, the track draws on uplifting techno to create a sense of collective release, complementing the more expansive and atmospheric qualities found elsewhere on the album.
“The title came from my tendency to move forward restlessly without pause, only to hit walls before realising the mode I was in. The last few years have brought extreme joy and significant pain, and the album was made through that. Performing live reshaped my perspective too. I became more aware of the moments that connected most viscerally with an audience, and wanted to honour that energy.”
The album also sits at the center of an expansive audiovisual world inspired by Dragon’s Gate, a photographic series by Oscar-nominated filmmaker and photographer Pen Densham. Drawing from the imagery of the series, Tom VR has developed custom 3D oceans, landscapes, and fluid environments in which sound and visuals evolve together.
That approach extends the album beyond a traditional collection of songs, turning it into an immersive digital environment where music, photography, and interactive visuals intersect. It is a natural progression for an artist whose work has consistently moved between physical and virtual spaces.
Tom VR has previously performed inside Fortnite through Coachella’s Sahara Island alongside Grimes, staged performances in Minecraft, and contributed to audiovisual projects presented at the Barbican Centre with Max Cooper and at Outernet London with HAAi. Those projects have established his work at the intersection of electronic music, digital art, and immersive technology.
The new double single follows a particularly active period for Tom VR, including recent remixes for Verses GT and Salamanda, a collaboration with John Beltran, and sold-out performances at Fabric and elsewhere in London. He has also appeared at Wonderfruit and Magnetic Fields, further strengthening the connection between his studio work and live performances.
His boundary-pushing approach has earned support from outlets including Ransom Note, MusicRadar, Resident Advisor, and Attack, while his growing catalog continues to move between club music, ambient composition, and experimental digital art.
With “Mag Fields” and “Unlocked Love,” Tom VR offers two contrasting windows into Don’t Know How Fast I’m Moving Until I Hit Something. One is rooted in improvisation and the unpredictable energy of a live set; the other embraces melodic techno’s communal power. Together, they introduce an album shaped by movement, memory, technology, and the emotional highs and lows that come with constantly pushing forward.
TOM VR: INSTAGRAM | SOUNDCLOUD | BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY