Sydney-based alt-rock singer-songwriter Ryan Thomas returns with “Who You Say You Are”, a blistering and emotionally charged new single that marks his most personal work to date. Known to some under his moniker Tastee Licks, Thomas has built his sound from years spent moving through solo gigs, blues jams, session guitar roles, and fronting pop-punk outfit Lucid. Now, at 24, he channels those experiences into music that hits with both grit and vulnerability, heartfelt, modern, and unmistakably his.
“Who You Say You Are” is honest, punchy, and unafraid, merging the catharsis of alt-rock with the melodic pull of pop-rock. Recorded largely in Thomas’ home studio, the track carries the raw fingerprints of a songwriter intent on telling the truth, no polish where it doesn’t belong, no hiding behind metaphor.
“It’s a look into losing my closest friend, as he becomes someone that neither of us want around,” says Thomas. “To me it’s an honest piece of self-reflection I should have written a long time ago.”
The song is driven by sharp, expressive guitars, a dynamic vocal performance that wavers between resignation and frustration, and percussion that feels like an emotional pulse. Instrumentally, Thomas crafted the track to sound like the experience itself—the confusion, the anger, the ache of watching someone drift into a version of themselves you barely recognise.
The result is a release of tension wrapped in melody, the kind of song that hits hardest when played loud with the windows down or through headphones in the dark.
Ryan Thomas is a Sydney-based alternative rock artist with roots in pop-punk, blues, and singer-songwriter tradition. Combining sharp lyricism with raw guitar-driven arrangements, his work captures the emotional weight of growing up, growing apart, and trying to remain honest while doing it. His music is nostalgic yet present, heavy yet deeply human.
