“I think we’ve all been waiting for this band to happen. When we finally got together and played, you should have heard the click. It was deafening.”
So says lead vocalist Reid Morrison, in telling the tale of the inception of Treetop Flyers. With their self-released debut EP ‘How To Bury The Past’, they’ve created a sound that gets your heartstrings all a-thrum with wistful nostalgia, a sound so deserving of its own genre that they’ve named it ‘pure country soul’. If you’ve been starving hungry for some musical nourishment, this is chicken gumbo and warm apple pie for your ears.
Each of the five-piece have a string of previous projects beneath their belts, yet it seems like every step they separately took was part of a superior astral path to bring them to up this point. Their songs carry an air of déjà vu, a talent rare in the world of song writing: channeling melodies so natural you feel you’ve heard them before. Live, they have a compelling urgency to their delivery and a visible electricity between them. With material enough for another two records already the year to come for Treetop Flyers is a prospect worth relishing.
Though the band share their name with that of a Stephen Stills song, the association isn’t one drummer Tomer dwells on. “What’s in a name? Absolutely nothing until you’ve done something worth remembering.”
In a world where dollar and convenience rule with an iron fist, it’s refreshing to find a band so resolute to fashion their sound on analogue equipment. As bassist Matthew explains, “It’s a real earthy sound that digital can’t even come close to. Like a home-cooked meal.” Tomer elaborates: “All the records we love are made by tape recording. There’s an undeniably magical quality in its imperfection.”
Their four-part vocal harmonies rustle up the leaves of your soul with an audible nod to Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young. Stylistically, Fleet Foxes or Midlake sit only a stone’s throw away, yet this comparison with their contemporaries don’t sit so well with the band. Tomer insists: “There’s any number of bands who sing multi-part harmonies, that’s all it is really. There are major differences, I mean, Fleet Foxes, we rock much harder than them, and there’s a level of musicianship we display that they don’t, though I’m not saying they’re not capable of it. Everyone in this band can play their asses off in a way that’s more than just simply capable or highly technical, there’s soul.”
When asked what comes next, Reid seems unfazed by the interest of record companies. “You just got to keep on at what you’re doing and not think about it too much. This is my dream. I was born to do this.”
Words by Hannah Lanfear
Where: West London
What: Wistful harmonies and a country bent.
Unique Fact: ‘To Bury The Past’ was recorded beneath a ukulele shop in Bethnal Green.
Get 3 songs: ‘Rose Is In The Yard’, ‘Mountain Song’, ‘It’s About Time’
