Japanese American multi-disciplinary artist & singer-songwriter Lea Thomas has announced her brand new full-length album Mirrors To The Sun today alongside lead single “Howl” which debuted on NPR. It will be released July 23 via Johanna Warren’s Spirit House Records.
Recent single “Hummingbird” illustrates a dream in which Thomas “dissolved into a pool of saltwater and re-emerged as a large white wolf, boundless and free.” The archetype of the wolf returns with the thundering indie-rock single, “Howl” which she refers to as a cosmic love song and shares, “I wrote ‘Howl’ as a reminder of the energy and excitement of finding love and letting it take you for a ride– whether you are choosing yourself, another person, or the mysteries of the universe. This song is a reminder of the freedom in that feeling: letting go of control and running wild into the unknown.” The “Howl” video was directed by Gabrielle Muller and edited by Thomas herself.
Lea Thomas creates worlds with her words, blending personal narrative with universal observations of both the mundane and spiritual, often in the same breath. Guiding her band between energies of introspection and exploration, focused calm and propulsive rhythms, her second full length solo record is a dynamic reflection on themes of transformation, belonging, and self-discovery. Inspired by poets and writers like Gary Snyder and Robin Wall Kimmerer, Lea Thomas has similarly found solace in the many metaphorical teachings found in nature. Her naturalist perspective permeates many of the narratives on Mirrors To The Sun.
Born in Hawaii and based in Brooklyn, Lea Thomas started her musical journey early, first with piano and then moving to guitar at 13 years old. A self-taught engineer, she left home at 17 to attend engineering school in New York City. In addition to her work as a musician, songwriter and producer, Thomas is a visual artist with a focus on hand weaving and natural dyes. Her frequent use of indigo pigment is symbolic of her Japanese heritage, honoring a lineage of kimono makers and textile artisans in her immediate ancestry. She is also a long-time student of traditional herbal medicine and produces a seasonal line of wild, hand-harvested herbal products under the name All In All Apothecary.
