The Walking Tree – What’s In My Head EP

By Ryan G

Few bands have I witnessed blow away an audience like The Walking Tree.

A few years ago I got the chance to see them open for OceanSpeak as part tour with Least of These. They had a distinctive indie progressive bent with a slight bit of post hardcore thrown in there. Their branding was very memorable too. And of course, a little bit of trumpet adds to every show.

Since that tour, The Walking Tree have been in hibernation. The three song What’s In My Head EP is a departure from their “old sound” into one that is more accessible but no less layered, and certainly one that is no less enjoyable.

The band’s aesthetic has remained consistent for the most part, yet kind of evolved organically. The title track and accompanying music video just about perfectly portray the new direction of the band, with its zany rock and roll and equally zany visual that seems to be inspired by Peter Gabriel’s iconic release “Sledgehammer.” The song seems to have somewhat of a throwback feel. Though their sounds are different, I would love to see The Walking Tree on a lineup with psych-blues-rock band The Worn Flints, who opened for Alabama Shakes last summer.

“Black and White” is an ironically colorful tune that is still rough around the edges. I don’t know if they were going for irony in the feel, but that’s what I get. The song, though a fairly standard four minutes long – leaves an impression of a song twice the length. Not because of boredom, but because the quality of the song almost has a tangible weight to it. This song in particular shows off the versatility of the Trunz brothers – Warren on vocals, and Kevin holding down the rhythm section on drums.

“Albatross” wraps up the all too short EP with a warm rock song that portrays a certain coziness while at the same time being in your face. The guitar work of Raffi Froundjian is particularly enjoyable here as well.

The Walking Tree I really hope will be a break out band in 2016. I have the sense they’ve gone through some growing pains, but this EP shows they have the right stuff to emerge triumphant.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elghwkW4rYw[/youtube]

Score: 4.2/5

The Walking Tree: Facebook | iTunes

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