This is something for fans of Nick Cave and related. Chicago-based artist Leon Frear presents the single “Secret Second Moon”, along with a comic strip-styled video created by French animator Ronald Grandpey. This album represents a new start for him under this moniker. Frear has a voice which somewhat recalls Marty Willson-Piper of The Church fame and his side project Nocturum.

“Secret Second Moon” is the first offering from his debut album “Wild Rice”. The album is lyrically based on his own personal experience, Frear’s speaks of love, lust, broken promises, broken phones, and multiple incinerated bridges. This 10-track collection was produced by Frear in his home studio in Chicago, playing every instrument during a recording process that took years in isolation to complete.

“I picked up my belongings, changed my name and moved to Chicago. I just wanted to get lost in the crowd. It took a decade to get sober, restore my health, sanity and put together enough equipment to make this record,” says Leon Frear. “Wild Rice is the story of those times, but told in reflection. The songs came from a place of true grief, regret and a little bit of anger. But through all of those things, I gained wisdom and became a better person. And while the details may be different, I think every human on this planet shares in the experience of feelings of grief. Ultimately, I think it is an album about empathy.”

Sonically, he was inspired to make “Wild Rice” while listening to old Leonard Cohen albums, Harvest by Neil Young, Stories from the City by PJ Harvey and lots of old ballads by Nick Cave.

As of November 21, “Secret Second Moon” is out, the album will be available from all music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The “Wild Rice” album will be released – on vinyl and digitally – on February 2, 2024.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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