Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, Of Tree is a surprising mix of the old and the new, proven from beginning to end of their newest tune, “How Does It Feel?” While at first glance we are instantly enticed by the ole time-y country/folk feeling, given a moment, the song proves itself to be so much more. The indie-folk foursome consists of Benjamin Parks on vocals, guitar and midi, Laurel Parks holding down more vocals, a violin and keys, John Bersuch on drums and Scott Freeman on bass.
Benjamin’s voice, slow, low, and deep, counters Laurel’s raspy higher tones, creating a perfect range of sonic entanglement that keeps the listener drawn in until the end.
The song itself is a positively hypnotic mix of slow, picking guitar, a rolling drum beat and steady bass, topped with a hauntingly melodic violin, ambient keys, and loops. At the center of it all is a tantalizing low, staccato melody sung by Benjamin Parks that is the most wonderful mix of depth, raw emotion, and smoothness I’ve heard since the likes of Johnny Cash. Lyrically, it’s a mix of dark poetry and traditional folk, filled with thought-provoking sections that play at the heart:
I had a thought that I loved you / I had a thought that I cared.
Making its debut on the band’s new album of the same name released in October, “How Does It Feel?” is bound to be on your Saturday-night-in, wine drinking playlist from here on out, because it’s definitely on ours.
