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AUSTIN, TX- New York’s The Thing have been quietly (and now not so quietly) building a case for themselves as one of the most essential voices in modern garage rock. Fresh off a massive European run that included a sold-out opening slot for The Black Keys in Berlin, the band is back in the States with a double dose of noise and nuance: “Something to Say” and “Insane,” the final singles before their full-length self-titled debut drops on August 6 via Onion Records.
At SXSW earlier this year, I caught The Thing at Empire Garage on March 15, and their set confirmed what early singles had already hinted at: this band plays with urgency, but never in a rush. There’s something jangly and hypnotic about their sound. In my humble opinion, it’s surf rock with grime under the fingernails, psych with a sneer. “Something to Say,” in particular, leans into that retro-fuzz aesthetic, combining melodic restraint with a garage-y punch. The official video, which finds the band schlepping their gear through Europe, visually mirrors the song’s ethos: movement as momentum, even when the road is long and uncertain.
“Insane,” meanwhile, lives up to its name with a spiraling energy born out of malfunction and heartbreak. The band’s frontman, Zane Acord, describes it as the soundtrack to a bad situationship unraveling, captured amid the chaos of a broken tape machine and nocturnal studio sessions. It’s frenetic, but it’s not messy. That tension…between control and collapse…seems to be fast becoming The Thing’s signature.
What’s equally exciting is the analog purity behind this whole project. The band recorded the album live to tape, entirely without a computer. It’s a flex of their DIY ethos, sure, but it’s also a statement of faith in spontaneity and imperfection. That commitment to raw immediacy places them in a lineage with other lo-fi torchbearers but with a distinctly NYC grit.
I’ve had “Can You Help Me?” on steady rotation since its release earlier this year—another standout that channels a slacker rock sensibility with subtle barbs (“I don’t like L.A.” being one that particularly stings, since, well, I’m from there). But it’s hard to hold a grudge when the groove is that good. The track rides a laid-back rhythm that echoes early ’90s alt-rock with just enough self-awareness to keep things interesting.
The full album arrives August 6, but The Thing have already mapped out their next moves. A three-week NYC residency at Night Club 101 kicks off this week, and they’ve just announced their first-ever shows in Australia this October, including a stop at SXSW Sydney.
Every pairing of A/B singles leading up to the album has come with its own visual motif, all eventually forming the complete album art—another analog-era nod in a digital world. Taken together, it’s clear The Thing aren’t just making noise—they’re crafting an aesthetic. One that’s at once nostalgic and forward-looking, unpolished and poetic.
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CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE ACTS WE CAUGHT AT SXSW!
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LIVE CLIPS
