Chicago-based rocker LEON FREAR presents 'A Morning House', final single ahead of his debut 'Wild Rice' album
FOR FANS OF: Marty Willson-Piper, The Wallflowers, Hozier, The Lumineers, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
FOCUS TRACKS: Secret Second Moon, A Town Called Chapel, A Morning House, She Fed Me Water, A Harvestman
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'Wild Rice' album order https://leonfrear.bandcamp.com/album/wild-rice
'A Morning House' https://youtu.be/W1swotHm85E
Bandcamp https://leonfrear.bandcamp.com/track/a-morning-house-2
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/3xQbXV8N0deoePOT3H35US
'A Town Called Chapel' https://youtu.be/NHmsA-35J5U
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/68Y8SNjt59ezItWDuTMiyM
'Secret Second Moon' https://youtu.be/i3rQjpe_jqo
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/7xr5dalE8IQATgaPtXUAkA
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/leonfrear
Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/album/secret-second-moon-single/1715993924
"Frear has a voice which somewhat recalls Marty Willson-Piper of The Church fame and his side project Nocturum... This is something for fans of Nick Cave and related" ~ Side-Line Magazine
"Track of the Day. The way he tells the story makes it seem like he and the listener are commiserating together... a song with a great story" ~ Chasing Destino
"With a unmistakeable voice deserving of becoming a regular fixture in the mind-memory of music lovers everywhere... catchy and contemplative, showcasing clever lyrics channeled through his smooth and deep timbre. fabulous from start to end and is obviously confessional while also being an invested labor of love" ~ Rock n Roll Biz
"The combination of evocative lyrics and a dynamic musical backdrop creates an immersive experience, inviting listeners to delve into the complexities of love, longing, and self-discovery" ~ Skylight Webzine
Chicago-based rocker/ songwriter Leon Frear presents 'A Morning House', a song about regret and hope previewing his debut album 'Wild Rice'. His first album under this moniker, this represents a new start since relocating from his home town of Chapel, North Carolina.
The new single follows 'A Town Called Chapel', which Frear describes as “a poison pen love letter to an historically musical time and place, to big blown-up plans and irreplaceable, lost relationships", and Frear's debut single 'Secret Second Moon' with a fantastic animated video by French artist Ronald Grandpey.
This powerful album reflects a dramatic period in which Frear experienced a life-altering love affair, its implosion and aftermath, followed by a decade of reflection and changes. Informed by his own experience, Frear's music speaks of love, lust, broken promises, miscommunication, and incinerated bridges. This 10-track collection sees Frear playing every instrument and capturing every breath to tape during a recording process that took years to complete.
"When I first got to Chicago, I had been living alone in one of those long term stay motels. You know the type. Half a kitchen in your room, maybe a few coin-op laundry machines in the lobby. Lots of activity in the parking lot at all hours. Coyotes... I had been living there for a few years, really just trying to survive and get sober. Even though I had a few songs partially written, I wasn't sure if I would ever record or release music again," says Leon Frear.
"But one night I had this dream that I was in a bright green field of grass, with a white house in the background, gleaming on the top of a hill, with rows of chairs arranged on the lawn. There was a crowd and I was seated in one of the chairs. There was a small stage set up and a man with curly hair was playing guitar and singing. Even though he didn't look like me or sound like me, I understood that he represented me, some part of me or maybe a different version of me. Maybe I was imagining what could have been, or feeling regret for what I had lost. I don't know. But in the dream, this man and his band were playing a song. And A Morning House is the song I heard in my dream that night."
He adds: "It's about feeling regret for things that you've done. Maybe bad things. But even more than that it's a song about the strong feelings of regret you feel for the things that you haven't done. All of those missed opportunities. Unhad adventures. Unexplored romances. But for me, having that dream, it felt like an extraordinary thing had occurred. In the end, that helped me find my motivation again. When I was finally able to put myself together enough to leave that place, find a real home and start putting a studio together, A Morning House is the first song I completed."
Laced with hints of sadness and regret, anger and remorse, the lyrics are tempered with sardonic wit that leaves the listener wondering if Frear doesn’t secretly savor feeling bad. If there’s an opportunity to mock an uncaring universe, this is an opportunity Frear doesn’t let go to waste.
Dubbing his brand of post-alternative music “vocabulary rock”, Frear aims to shift the emphasis away from the man and towards the music and lyrics, while inviting the listener to commiserate together through this exploration of grief, depression and sadness.
As of January 30, 'A Morning House' is available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The 'Wild Rice' album will be released (on vinyl and digitally) on March 1.
CREDITS
Music and lyrics written by Leon Frear
Recorded by Leon Frear in his Chicago home studio
Mastering by Adam Boose at Cauliflower Studios
Vocals and instruments performed by Leon, except
Faye Whitt - backup vocals on 'Murder of Crows'
Front cover collage by Faye Whitt
Ronald Grandpey - Director / animator for 'Secret Second Moon' video
Artist photos by Jeremy Glickstein
TRACK LIST
01. A Town Called Chapel
02. A Morning House
03. She Fed Me Water
04. A Morning Waltz
05. Secret Second Moon
06. A Harvestman
07. A Murder of Crows
08. Foie Gras
09. Sweet Dreams Say Goodbye
10. Drowning Horses
Keep up with Leon Frear
Bandcamp | Instagram | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
