Folk Rocker Thin Lear is Haunted by 'A Simple Phrase'

Queens-based indie folk-rock singer-songwriter Thin Lear, aka Matt Longo, has a full album arriving in July, and has been releasing singles from the new project, titled Wooden Cave. 

The latest release is "A Simple Phrase," which has been dubbed an "orchestral ballad", and includes a string arrangement, upright bass, and a limited use of the piano.

Longo explains the not just dream-like, but actually dream-related origin of the song:

"I woke up with the whole thing one day, ideas for arrangement and all. I wish every tune arrived as organically. Before I slept, I was thinking a lot about how insecurity operates, how it haunts, and the way it ebbs and flows. And then that chorus was just ringing in my ears throughout the next morning: 'Forget about the things you need to happen/You're not really here/You met your end/Ages ago.'"

Throughout the quarantine period, Longo's been performing on various live streams, including a previously filmed session for BreakThru Radio, and he performed for The Wild Honey Pie's "Buzzsessions" with a cover of Donovan's "To Sing For You" and a rendition of his own song "Different Tune."

As for what we can expect from the upcoming Wooden Cave, Longo says it's about "isolation and self-exploration" which seems pretty relevant to our times, and in order to create the album, he also spent time researching the life of a 1920's occultist, Netta Fornario, who lived in an isolated way on a tiny island off of Scotland. We might be able to sympathize more with her life these days!

Here's a listen to the newly released song, "A Simple Phrase":

 And you can also dive into a live session for another song off of Wooden Cave, "Your Family":