Thin Lear

The music of Thin Lear comes into focus like a specter in the dark – beckoning, restless, and yearning – an outstretched hand from the dimness of a room. The moniker of NJ songwriter Matt Longo, Thin Lear has taken on many forms since 2020’s debut, Wooden Cave (PopMatters’ Best Albums of 2020), with different collectives of collaborators, producers, and players.

Thin Lear's new EP, A Shadow Waltzed Itself (out 3/7 via Metropolitan Groove Merchants), illustrates the moment one recognizes that something of great value (a person, a community, a sense of self) has quietly moved away from them. Through dark waltzes, and a late-night sonic palette, the EP unfurls stories of those reckoning with this shuddering realization – either fighting against it or simply letting it go.

Last year's A Beach of Nightly Glory EP, produced by Matthew E. White (Natalie Prass), received praise from Bandcamp Daily, Under the Radar, the Talkhouse, and PopMatters, with Chris Ingalls declaring it "...a superb showcase for Longo's immense songwriting abilities...a throwback to the timeless compositions of artists like Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, and David Berman." Thin Lear's previous album, Wooden Cave, arrived on EggHunt Records, receiving glowing reviews from KEXP, The Big Takeover, AllMusic, and NPR's New Music Friday, with Robin Hilton calling the album "amazing."