Hailing from Brooklyn- New York, The Thing consists of Michael Carter, Jack Bradley, Zane Accord, and a recent inclusion of Lucas Ebeling on the drums. With influences spanning from The Kinks and the Grand Funk Railroad before expanding the taste to that of the Blacks Keys and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. First playing shows in the latter end of 2022 but not allowing this to be a problem creating a sense of excitement around the streets of New York which The Strokes (which the bands sound can be attributed to) did before them. The Thing, like any great brand, moulded their sound on the road with energy fuelled live shows like that of The Replacements and a DIY mentality self-recording and producing, gaining a devoted fan base. Releasing their debut album ‘Here’s The Thing’ in April 2023 (without Ebeling) with a group of songs written over the early years of the band however with the sophomore album this approach wasn’t taken with the band stating, “To maintain the freshness and creativity we took less than a month to write and record the album.” Even before the recording, all members quit their jobs and gave up their stable homes showing their determination as well as their belief in themselves. The Thing starts their tour with an album release show in their hometown before a 41-date tour going both East coast and west coast and to their neighbours up north. With three singles and videos beneath their belt, The Thing’s ‘Neptunne’ was Sirius XMs Alt nation for Advanced placement as well as the other singles getting support by being placed on all sorts of Spotify playlists. So, does ‘The thing is’ live up to that of the sixties pioneers and indie royalty that influence them, or does it fall flat?
To open an album with a song named after the album itself you need a belief system (which they have already shown they have) and a set of bollocks that can be likened to that of Bear Grylls. The acoustic guitar and drums give the sense of a Mexican standoff which is further helped by the lyric “I’m the only fucking cowboy in this town.” As well as sounding like a concoction of an early 70s Peter Green Fleetwood Mac and a Fat Boy Slim dance tune with a build up straight off a house track. Each instrument blend together beautifully complimenting each other giving a sensation that acid was heavily used during production.
‘Nothing’ sounds like a love child between Patrick Carney and Julian Casablancas, with heavy drums that roll off the tongue and vocals that sound like they came from the early 2000s. With whirling guitar riffs, heavy sounding drums and melodic vocals enhanced with backing vocals creating a song that belongs to an indie night in the student clubs in every city. The lyrics create a carefree atmosphere whilst the drum fills are something Bonham would be proud of. (A personal favourite for a reason).
‘What is this’ is guitar driven with raw produced vocals that compliment the production. A song that sounds of a nude party record. The vocals are not overly produced creating a natural aspect to the recordings. The drums change the atmosphere of the song from reflective to optimistic in a drop of a hat. A more mellow ending compared to the rest of the album showing a different aspect of a true rock and roll band.
The album is an anomaly in today’s music scene standing solo and having no competitors, it could slot into any era of music and hold its own. A fresh sounding LP that brings something new in a day and age where cover bands like Greta Van Fleet and Maneskin are the face of what people deem as classic rock and roll, The Thing are a breath of fresh air in the field taking what the forefathers created and running with it as well as adding their own twist to it. ‘The thing is’ has a distinctive sound which all the influences can be seen within from the turned up distorted guitars of the Kinks, drums that sensitive ears need caution about like the Black Keys or the vocals that made Alex Turner want to be a part of. Elements of psych-rock, lo-fi and classic rock without the guilt that the band done something dodgy in the seventies.
The Thing: The Thing Is – Out 2nd February 2024
Thing – Midnight (Official Video) (youtube.com)
