Asbury Park singer-songwriter Jonathan Tea’s latest single, “You’re Not Here,” is the Makin Waves Song of the Week. ART BY JONATHAN TEA

In the midst of relaunching his Spilling the Tea songwriters night, Jonathan Tea is balancing his busy “y’allternative” band, Hooper, with the release of his new completely solo single, “You’re Not Here.”

Not only did the Asbury Park singer-songwriter write, perform, record and mix the tongue-in-cheek heartbreaker, he also photographed and designed its artwork.

Talk about Makin Waves, hence, “You’re Not Here” is the Makin Waves Song of the Week.

As the Makin Waves Song of the Week, “You’re Not Here” also can be heard between 6 and 8 p.m. on Oct. 20 on “Radio Jersey” at ThePenguinRocks.com. If you miss it, you can tune in any time in the archives at The Penguin and MixCloud.

“I wrote it kind of tongue in cheek about a guy who is completely heartbroken, but putting on a front that he’s totally OK,” Jonathan said. “I originally had planned to have that guitar solo be on a juiced-up Les Paul, but when the idea of the baritone guitar popped in my head, I tried it and it just worked. I came up with a simple Spaghetti Western-style melody and threw a bunch of reverb and delay on it. I feel like it opens up this beautiful space in the middle of the track. I’ve always loved that twangy baritone guitar sound, and I’m happy it found a place in ‘You’re Not Here.’”

Mastered by Frank Gagliardi at The Fuselage in Nashville, the single will be followed by an LP that soon will be recorded at Lakehouse Studios in Asbury Park for a spring release.

You can get a taste of those songs live at the next Spilling the Tea on Nov. 5 at John’s Cracker Barrel in the Shark River Hills section of Neptune. Jonathan will share the stage with Nashville singer-songwriter Lucy Isabel.

“I feature a different songwriter each month, and we take turns trading songs and the stories behind them,” he said. “I had to shut it down during the pandemic, so it’s good to be back. That happens on the first Thursday of each month at John’s Cracker Barrel.”

As the keyboardist in Hooper, Jonathan also will play Nov. 11 at Albert Hall in the Waretown section of Ocean Township. For more, check out his Instagram here.

Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and contact Bob at [email protected].