Meet Thin

Batton down the hatches there is a musical storm approaching. Thin is a wonderful group of three fellas making raw, emotional hard-hitting metal tunes. Thin’s latest release “dawn” is the furious explosion of noise-rock that this year needed to punch it in the face and send it flying through the ceiling. Turn the volume up really loud and listen to their latest album, as you read our interview and get to know these wonderful people.

Self-portraits by Thin

Would You Rather

have everything you wear always be four sizes too big or two sizes too small?

Fernando: Four sizes too big. Gives me room to grow.

Andrew: Four sizes too big might be the more comfy option

Ashley: Four sizes too big. I'm a new parent, so the dad bod is inevitable.

Some Questions with Thin

Your project Thin seems to pull from a number of different influences. What brought you all together and what did each of you bring to get the sound we hear in Thin?

All: We met playing shows in NYC in now-defunct bands, at now-defunct venues, between 2014-2015. Fernando and Andrew had already played in bands together going back to 2010, or so. From 2016-2018, Fernando and Ashley also had a project together, until the three of us formed THIN in January 2019, the same month we recorded our EP, respite_apology.

As far as influences, we each grew up listening to bands like Converge, Every Time I Die, The Locust, Ed Gein, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Daughters, Arsonists Get All The Girls, etc., so the heavy/chaotic aspect of the music came naturally. But we all like different stuff, so our influences also draw from artists as disparate as, Death Grips, Reverend Gary Davis, System of a Down, Sufjan Stevens, etc.. We each bring different perspectives to the mix and try our best to create something organic. Individually speaking:

Fernando: Personally I try to bring quick transitions between blast beats and deep pocket grooves to all the songs we write.

Andrew: As a bass player, I’ll just come up with some ideas following either the guitar or drums and miraculously it ends up working.

Ashley: I think in terms of rhythm when I write, so I'll have some time signature/beat type thing in my head, often with no guitar lick written whatsoever. I'll throw this proto idea at the rhythm section, to test out if it works or not. If the groove feels good, then I can start figuring out what ugly riffs to throw on top of the meat.

Did you get a chance to perform any of your tracks off of your album “dawn” live before the lockdown? Which track are you most looking forward to playing live?

Fernando: Pretty sure we started playing some of them live towards the start of 2020. Looking forward to playing "serotonin."

Andrew: I'm pumped to play the track "din" when we get back at it.

Ashley: We played a bunch of new stuff at our last couple shows before the pandemic hit, and I'm really looking forward to playing ANYTHING live 😖. I do like how "bereft" hits though.

What advice do you have for musicians trying to make work in the current climate?

Fernando: Live music is dead for the moment. Have a good online presence.

Andrew: Use the time to create more for your audience.

Ashley: Be safe. Try to meet up and jam if it's feasible. Write. Live music might come back one of these days.

What is the best street food in NYC?

Fernando: I don't eat street food.

Andrew: Tacos. Decent portions, affordable and delicious (especially after a few drinks).

Ashley: Probably the dosa cart, NY Dosas, in Washington Square Park. Insanely good, and insanely cheap (for NYC).

How did your creative process differ when writing dawn versus your last release, respite_apology?

Fernando: We spent more time in the writing process together.

Andrew: Ashley and Fernando had a good batch of songs before I joined going into recording respite_apology. Going into dawn, I was involved in the writing process, and the band as a whole really honed its sound.

Ashley: Really the big difference was more time. respite_apology was a bit hurried. For dawn, frequent rehearsals over a span of 8-9 months gave us the opportunity to really give the new material attention. If a section of a song was a little meh, we worked at it until we were all stoked. Blasts, grooves, sadness, and chaos!

What was your first job? How did it go?

Andrew: Intern for a syndicated television company. It had its perks.

Ashley: Albertson’s grocery (in Clearwater, FL), meat department. I handled raw meat all day, and couldn't get the smell out of my hair, even after a shower. I just didn't go into work one day, never called, and never went back. Needless to say, I can't work at Albertsons anytime soon.

If the price was no object what would be the perfect bagel?

Fernando: Whole wheat everything bagel, scooped out and lightly toasted, with scallion cream cheese, and a slice of tomato.

Andrew: French Toast with egg and cheese...on a silver platter.

Ashley: Pumpernickel right out of the oven, with lox, cream cheese, tomato, capers, and cucumbers, hand-delivered by Paul Stanley.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Fernando: Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far.

Andrew: Wear your masks and thanks.

Ashley: We are so grateful to everyone who has given us a spin. Infinite love to Twelve Gauge Records for believing in us.

Thin