The Thing bassist/vocalist Zane Acord is a man of few words, burning through about 130 for this interview. (Hardly enough to sustain a typical breakup text.) It could be that our questions just weren’t that great. Or it could be that the buzzy New York City retro rockers fancy themselves a throwback to the days when playing music mattered more than talking about playing it.
While lengthy conversations may not be their thing, Acord and Co. know the value of a slow build, gradually rolling out their self-titled third LP with a tantalizing series of thematic a-sides/b-sides over five months. Proudly egalitarian, they track live to tape in some pretty unorthodox spots. (See below.) Whether your definition of the past is the White Stripes, the Strokes, the La’s or the Kinks doesn’t really matter to these guys—who manage to sound like all those bands on The Thing and still project a refreshing authenticity.
Acord kept it real (brief) with MAGNET’s Hobart Rowland.
Tell us about the methodical slow-build for your new LP.
We wanted every song to have a little time in the sunshine. Streaming is so heavily single focused.
How did this album come together? What was the recording process like?
We bought a tape machine and had a month off the road. Our tour manager let us move into his pool house in East Hampton for the month, and we just spent every minute making a record.
The single “Insane” was recorded on a broken tape machine? Explain how that went down.
It was written during one of the days the tape machine broke. We’d been doing nothing but making songs in this tiny room, so it’s autobiographical. (Audio tech) “Midnight” Bob (Schuster) came out to fix it, and we cut it the next day.
Other young bands are championing the Thing’s back-to-basics approach. What makes you guys different?
Who’s to say?
It’s been a busy and productive year for the Thing. Would you pinpoint a moment or two when you realized all the hard work was paying off?
There were a few times where people have stopped us in the street and said that we’re their favorite band—that and enjoying a meal at Balthazar.
See the Thing live.
