Tom Rowlands – co-founder of The Chemical Brothers – and AURORA continue their joint project under the name TOMORA. Their second single, “THE THING”, has just landed on streaming platforms. It confirms that this is not a one-off feature, but a consistently developed, standalone musical project.
Second single and hard facts: “THE THING” in circulation
“THE THING” was released as a digital single on January 15, 2026. The listed label is Fontana Records. The project is no longer operating in the grey area of a “mysterious pseudonym from festival line-ups”, but functions within a fully established release framework. The fact that this is referred to as a “second single” is not a journalistic shortcut – TOMORA previously debuted with the single “RING THE ALARM”, officially communicated through channels associated with The Chemical Brothers.
Tom Rowlands
For many listeners, the name is the key. Tom Rowlands is one half of the British duo The Chemical Brothers (alongside Ed Simons), one of the most influential electronic acts of recent decades. The group has long moved between big beat, club electronics and the festival format, while regularly collaborating with vocalists and artists outside the strictly “electronic” sphere.
Rowlands is also a producer who likes to think in terms of projects. And this is where the core idea comes into focus: TOMORA is meant to be a “band”, not a sum of two individual brands. In the official statement released around the debut, one sentence clearly sets the perspective:
“We wanted TOMORA to be a band, not two individuals. It’s our musical feeling come to life.”
AURORA
AURORA is a Norwegian singer and songwriter who has long operated at the intersection of alternative pop, electronics and folk-influenced aesthetics. Her music can be ethereal in tone, but is usually very precise in its emotional weight and melodic construction. In the context of TOMORA, what matters is that she is not appearing as a guest vocal on a club track, but as a co-creator of the project – equal in credits and in the language of communication.
From shared recordings to a new project
This is not a “duo of the season”. First, AURORA appeared within the world of The Chemical Brothers – she co-wrote and provided vocals on three tracks from their 2019 album “No Geography”: “Eve of Destruction”, “Bango” and “The Universe Sent Me”.
Then came the reverse move. On AURORA’s album “What Happened To The Heart?” (released June 7, 2024), Tom Rowlands is also listed among the production contributors. This is another solid piece of the puzzle, showing that the artistic relationship is not one-sided.
Seen in this light, TOMORA feels like a natural consequence of several years of exchanging ideas rather than a marketing shortcut. The project has also been discussed in the context of its visual layer and the involvement of director Adam Smith, a long-time collaborator within the world of The Chemical Brothers and related creative work.
