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Thin Lear

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About

Thin Lear, the eclectic project of Queens-based songwriter Matt Longo, harkens back to the work of 70's-era studio obsessives, familiar and surprising in equal measure, like a face from a dream. Pulling influence from the insular world of Astral Weeks, the haunting melodicism of Harry Nilsson, and the adventurousness of Shuggie Otis, Longo creates songs that exist on a sonic and lyrical island all their own. The debut album, Wooden Cave, arrived on EggHunt Records (Lucy Dacus, Camp Howard) in July 2020, and was highly praised by PopMatters, who included it on their Best Albums of 2020 list. The record also received glowing support from AllMusic (★★★★), Bandcamp's New & Notable, KEXP, The Big Takeover, GoldFlakePaint, and countless other outlets, and was featured on NPR’s New Music Friday, where Robin Hilton called the album "amazing."

Thin Lear is currently working on a sophomore album with producer Matt Ross-Spang (Margo Price, The Mountain Goats) at Sam Phillips Recording Service, collaborating with some of the finest studio musicians in Memphis, including Ken Coomer (Wilco), Rick Steff (Lucero) and Will Sexton (Foy Vance).

Press

“Wooden Cave -- easily one of the best, if not the best album of this horrifying year so far -- does what so many of the best albums do...Matt Longo isn't immune to the horrors of the world, but he knows how to wrap them up in gorgeous, lush, sophisticated songs.”
-Chris Ingalls, Pop Matters (9/10)

“Wooden Cave is on par with the albums that inspired it: Leonard Cohen's dark backroom soliloquies and the more bittersweet moments of Nilsson's drifty pop. It's a fantastic debut with songs that would be just as strong played alone on a piano as they are in their complexly arranged forms.”
-Fred Thomas, AllMusic (★★★★)

"A warm, rich, and intimate chamber pop album that revolves around life, love, death, and dreams."
-Jen Dan, The Big Takeover

“At once hard to describe, but easy to grab onto…immensely satisfying. Thin Lear is extremely thoughtful in its combining of the five elements of music: melody, harmony, rhythm, tone color, and form.”
-Kira Grunenberg, American Songwriter

"That Thin Lear album is amazing."
-Robin Hilton, NPR Music's New Music Friday

"A well-crafted set of orchestral pop...a lush sound...with often-dark lyrics of alienation and self-destruction.”
-Don Yates, KEXP

"Thin Lear's sophisticated rock music is tempered with soaring chamber pop accents and an undeniable gift for melody."
-Jes Skolnik, Bandcamp's New & Noteworthy

"Beautifully elegant...delicate and hypnotic."
-Tom Johnson, GoldFlakePaint

"His voice washes over you like a lullaby. It’s an honest portrait of a moment in time, punctuated by the content we lean into to make peace with the turbulence."
-Corinne Osnos, The Wild Honey Pie

“An enigmatic cross between Belle and Sebastian, Wilco, and Ben Folds…a master of his craft…as tasteful as indie rock gets.”
-Zachary Keirstead, Earmilk

"The recordings are rich with musical nuance, conjuring up the insular worlds of Astral Weeks-era Van Morrison, Tim Buckley, and Shuggie Otis."
-The Vinyl District

"One can hear the wit of Randy Newman, the lush arrangements of Harry Nilsson, and the poetic flair of Leonard Cohen."
-PopMatters: Best of 2020

Highlights

  • PopMatters: 2020 Best Albums of the Year (Wooden Cave)

  • 40+ NACC radio adds (Wooden Cave)

  • Selected by vinyl subscription service VNYL as the featured album in their #folktheyear collection (Wooden Cave)

  • Played the 2021 Mile of Music Festival

  • Selected for the 2021 Rock the Hall showcase at Tarrytown Music Hall

  • Direct support for Jesse Malin, Charlie Parr and Suzanne Santo

 

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