Homeschool’s Tom D’Agustino Releases Long-Awaited EP ‘Just Now’

It has been a tumultuous year for Homeschool, the solo project of NYC-based nonbinary artist Tom D’Agustino.

As the former front person of garage pop quarter Active Bird Community, D’Agustino is welcoming new beginnings as an independent singer-songwriter with unfettered control of the creative process. They have spent the past year experimenting with music and masculinity, which will be showcased in their new EP Just Now, coming out May 19.

Featuring six tracks, Just Now plays with themes largely centered around their newfound clarity on their nonbinary identity, acceptance, perseverance, and self-love. D’Agustino weaves genre-bending stylings into self-aware reflections that paint the pain of life with a surprisingly upbeat and humorous brush. What they found was not so much the key to happiness or success, but rather clusters of themselves that they never truly openly addressed.

To celebrate the EP on its release day, D’Agustino will be playing a special show at popular NYC venue Baby’s All Right, as well as releasing a visual for the track “Hanger-on.”

OFM had the opportunity to sit down with D’Agustino and talk more about the EP and their artistry. In addition to music, they have also ventured into acting and can be seen on network hits like NBC’s Blacklist and HBO’s Gossip Girl.

Can you begin by telling us more about the concept and inspiration behind your new EP, Just Now?

Most of these songs were being written and formulated during the COVID lockdown, and I was really trying to take a hard look about my relationship to music, especially in the event of the whole industry coming to a halt and reeling from the disbandment of my previous band. In that isolation, I was kind of falling in love with songwriting again because it didn’t have an agenda in terms of success, touring, or gaining followers because the world was stuck.

I think that in tandem with my own blossoming and understanding my gender identity, music became this salvation, and it felt very in the moment. I started to think about what life could look like if music wasn’t necessarily a career path, but if it was integral to my identity. The concept of Just Now is an attempt to live in the moment, but also being comfortable with who I am right now. Not who I’m going to be in the future and not letting go of who I was in the past, but just experimenting and feeling comfortable, safe, and empowered.

Is that essentially the overall story this EP is telling?

I think so. It has other little motifs and stuff that go on in terms of my relationship to my partner and day to day quirks. There’s a song called “Loving You to Death,” where I’m trying to convince my girlfriend that even though I have a laundry list of flaws and idiosyncrasies, I have a lot of love to give and I’m worthy of receiving her love. It lays out all my flaws and kind of pokes fun at myself.

Personally, what are you looking forward to the most about this release?

Honestly, there’s two things. The music being out in the world and sharing these songs with people is big, but I’m playing an EP release show at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, New York on May 19, and I’ve never played any of these songs live before. None of the newer ones. So, sharing the stage for the first time with some of my best friends, wearing my dress and makeup, and inhabiting the space of this record in front of people I love and care about, I’m very excited about that.

There’s also a music video that’s coming out for my track “Hanger-on,” which was directed and shot by Brian Paccione. He did an incredible job with it, so giving people the more physical and visual parts of the music, I’m also very excited about that.

I’m glad you mentioned “Hanger-on.” What can you tell us about that track specifically?

I would say that song is one of the more self-critical ones on the record, where my insecurity, or lack of focus, comes out the most. A lot of the songs on the record are either empowering, kind of silly, or a little more casual, but with “Hanger-on,” it was one of the last songs I wrote for the record because we needed another song. I had an earlier one that I liked, but I felt like I could beat it, and I wrote and recorded pretty much all of “Hanger-on” in one day.

It’s for those people that are in a relationship who think maybe they’re the one that doesn’t have their shit together or they’re going through a lot of stuff and think they’re a burden on the other person, but you’re sticking around because you want some sort of benefit or you want to feel loved, safe, and coddled, as opposed to being an active member in the relationship. I think that song is me admitting that I feel that way, but also in the chorus, acknowledging that I’m more than that. I have a lot of love to give and can be a strong, supportive partner, but to do that, I need to admit those things and be honest about myself.

Ultimately, what do you hope listeners take away from Just Now?

That in terms of expressing yourself and feeling comfortable in your own skin, first of all, that can be a very difficult pursuit and probably one that’s never going to end. However, there are so many moments, and the potential to have so many moments, where you get to feel that way. You can feel safe and feel like you’re allowed to experiment. You’re allowed to question rules, whether that’s in an identity context or in the context of making music. I would hope that people who listen to this record, they can see some of their own lives in it regardless of how they identify. Also, just learn that you can kind of play and make fun of yourself as a way to feel empowered.

Have you always had a passion for singing and songwriting?

Yes, as far as I can remember. I found a guitar in my basement when I was in fourth grade, and then the next day, my mom found me a guitar teacher. He really encouraged learning what you want and kind of getting out of the instrument. Learn what you put into music, as opposed to being a strict disciplinarian about music. So, songwriting was how I learned to play music and how I got interested in being a listener. It’s always been a part of me.

After leaving Active Bird Community, what was the decision behind naming your solo project Homeschool?

Well, I needed a new name (laughs), but there’s something about that word that’s always had a lot of meaning for me. I wasn’t homeschooled, but I was babysitting these two kids at the time, and the younger brother was experiencing a lot of bullying at school. He was considering being homeschooled, and I was like, oh, that’s an interesting word. When I hear homeschool, I think about what you learned growing up and in your household.

I had a pretty turbulent upbringing, so I would think of that word as a different kind of education. One that has a lot to do with relationships, being confused, and trying to navigate what it means to be a child who was forced to grow up too quickly. I think Homeschool is like a reminder and a badge of honor that I wear about what that upbringing was like, and how it’s brought me to where I am now.

Spending much of your creative career in a band atmosphere, how has Just Now changed your perspective on songwriting?

That’s a great question. I think in a band, at least the way I was in my band, it was always a democracy. Everyone needed to contribute and pull their weight, but also, everyone got to be heard, which is a beautiful way to make music. Although, I wouldn’t say it’s the best way to push your own individual songwriting abilities because wherever your skills fall short or your passion kind of runs out, someone else can pick up the slack for you.

I think what’s interesting about Homeschool is that I’m pretty much the judge, jury, and defendant, all in one. It’s challenging, but it’s fun because I get to experiment. There are no real rules, and I don’t necessarily have to impress anybody. With this project, I’m convincing myself that I’m good enough and strong enough to do it on my own in terms of writing and recording.

You also do work as an actor and have been seen on network hits like NBC’s Blacklist, CBS’s Blue Bloods, and HBO’s Gossip Girl. Do you currently have any acting projects in the works?

Not right now. I think the writer’s strike has taken a huge blow to a lot of auditioning, but the way I look at it, it’s nice to take a break from one creative outlet and focus on another. As complicated and tragic the writer’s strike is at this moment, not having access to a lot of auditions or working in that space has given me a lot of time to focus on my music. I am looking forward to acting when things get fired up again because the interplay between those two worlds is so cool. Just the way they’re very, very similar.

The way you approach acting is you’re trying to figure out what’s true in the moment, try to act upon that impulse, and to follow your character’s intention. With music, I’m doing the same thing, but I’m doing it with Tom, myself. I’m trying to figure out what I want, where I want to go, and what this music is trying to say. Using that same part of your brain, they really inform each other.

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your career and platform?

My first immediate goal would be to be able to keep doing this. Be able to afford to write songs, record them, and play shows. For me, that interest is always going to be there. I’m always going to write music no matter what happens. Then in terms of a platform, I don’t really have any agenda other than hopefully giving people a safe space to express themselves however they want and realize that while it is a very supercharged, contentious, and honestly brutal debate that’s going on in this country regarding gender identity, fluidity, and experimentation, that’s not something that needs to be absorbed into your bones and psyche.

It’s fun to experiment, and it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not the first thing that’s on my mind all the time. It’s just being creative. My music and songs are like a canvas. My body can be the same thing, and it’s very much an extension of my creativity. So, I think giving people that perspective might reach some people. Not every decision you make needs to feel like a political one. It can feel creative, beautiful, silly, stupid, goofy. Fuck other people if they’re afraid of it.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?

Just Now releases Friday, May 19, and that’s also the date of my show at Baby’s All Right and the video release for “Hanger-on.” Other than that, I’m just going to write more music and stay active on the platforms!

Stay up-to-date and connect with D’Agustino by following them on Instagram and TikTok @homeschoolmusic, or visit their official website, homeschool.party.com. Just Now is available to stream on all digital music platforms.

Photos courtesy of Nick D’Agostino