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Artist Spotlight
The Thing

Interview by Dean Andersen

The Thing

New York City has a unique way of shaping bands, speeding their pulse and sharpening their edge. From The Velvet Underground, Television and New York Dolls, the city has produced some of the finest rock 'n' roll. Now it's time to meet The Thing, one of the city's newest bands pushing that lineage forward.

The beginnings of The Thing trace back to 2019, but it wasn’t until they met drummer Lucas in 2023 that everything locked into place. Since then, they’ve released three albums (Here’s The Thing, 2023; The Thing Is, 2024; The Thing, 2025) and racked up almost 400 shows in three years. In the interview to follow, we speak with Zane Acord (vocals, bass guitar) about recording live to tape, how to stay sane with a busy tour schedule and where to get the best burger in New York. Hit play on their most recent album The Thing and read on.

For someone discovering The Thing for the first time, how would you best describe your music?

Alive.

How did the band come together? Was there a moment when you realised that The Thing is?

Michael and I went to middle school together and Jack and I went to high school together. When we graduated high school, we all got together and said let’s make a band. We started throwing demos together in 2019 and then throughout COVID we starting piecing together our first record (Here’s The Thing). All that being said, when we met Lucas in February 2023 is when we realized this is The Thing. From the first rehearsal together we knew he made us a real band.

New York Band - The Thing

Your self-titled album (The Thing) released last year was recorded live as a band to tape, which is a process not many bands do these days. What was the writing process for the album? Do you write songs as a group, does somebody bring an idea to a jam session, or do you start jamming and take it from there?

We wrote and recorded the album in a little over a month. Had some ideas going into the session and just hashed them out, all together. What was really nice about writing that record was that there were no screens; no visual guide to arranging or anything. This allowed us to really sink in and be “in it”.

When you’re writing, how do you decide when a song is finished?

If we feel good on it, get a good night’s sleep, and still are feeling good on it the next day. Trust yourself! Who know what you’ll dig in the future, but if you dig it now then that’s that.

You’re from New York, which has such an incredible rock lineage, and you can hear this in your sound. What bands from the past NYC scene have inspired you? What are your favourite current bands that drive you?

Television, LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes from the past. Geese are doing brilliant things.

The Thing seated together

If someone was visiting New York and wanted to get a taste of the city through the eyes of The Thing, where should they go?

TV Eye in Ridgewood, Tom and Jerry’s Bar, go get yourself a key lime pie from Steve’s in Red Hook.

What is your favourite bar or late-night spot to go in New York? Where do you find the best sandwich?

The Johnson’s for a good bar and good burger.

Last year you released The Thing and toured across the US, Europe and even Australia. From what I could find online, you played around 70 shows last year. What does that pace feel like when you’re on the road day to day? How do you make sure that you all get along and stay sane? 

Honestly last year was light compared to the previous two years where we did around 150 shows each. Touring kind of keeps you in the present, focusing on getting to the next place, finding decent food options, making sure all the logistical stuff is ironed out, etc. It gets long and can break you down but taking it day by day and having as much fun as you can helps me a bunch. That and sleeping as much as you can.

When touring so much do you feel like the band changes after such long runs of shows? Do you feel that the band plays tighter, more relaxed, more chaotic? Do you find you change songs to keep it more interesting for yourselves?

Definitely tighter and a lil more chaotic, but it all changes throughout the tour. The way you play a song at the beginning typically feels different by the end of the run. We like to change stuff up as much as possible. That and adding covers.

Every band has at least one ridiculous tour story. What’s the craziest thing that’s happened while The Thing was on tour?

We ran into homeless Andy Dick at an Omaha gas station.

If a reader only listened to one of your songs, what song would you want that to be?

Family Business or Can You Help Me.

Finally, what’s next for The Thing?

We’re on our way to the West coast to play with our favorite band The Macks.

You can find The Thing on Instagram, YouTube and Spotify. The Thing are currently on tour in the United States, see their tour dates here

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