Abrasive Trees – Now You Are Not Here (2021)
With their EP Bound for An Infinite Sea, Abrasive Trees shut the rest of the world away and let you sink into the thick mists of their sound. His latest EP Now You Are Not Here brings a poetic edge to the music with a dusting of his heritage. With the title track having started as a poem he wrote, the rest of the EP emerged from the weaving of poems and old riffs.
Matthew Rochford is joined in this poetic endeavour by Jo-Beth Young providing vocals on the title track. The three-track EP captures something different from the last while inundating your senses with this solo project’s unique sound. With an evolving soundscape that brings together different melodic elements and styles, it is a true listening experience that should not be missed.
The EP opens with the title track ‘Now You Are Not Here’ featuring vocals from Jo-Beth Young. The almost ambient tones in the opening get your attention before you are hit with the vibrating waves of the music. There is a hit of sitar that brings Rochford’s roots into the soundscape while the vocals wrap around the music like mist around your ankles. The harmonising of the vocals creates a slightly creepy feeling to the track that enhances the poetry of the lyrics. Young’s vocals are ethereal and haunting as they soar over Rochford’s echoing tones. There is a rather heady feeling to this song that pulls you into a hypnotic meditation.
‘Ashram Song’ has a lighter feeling to the melody with a heavier touch of Indian tones. Through the opening, you get the feeling it is an awakening like the warm rays of the sun chasing the chill of the night before. This swings into a rather lively flow that dances through your senses with a delightful combination of Eastern tones and rock sensibilities. It is a very uplifting track that settles something in your spirit that you never knew was out of place. Through the instrumental single, you float along a river of sound that makes you feel at peace with the world.
The EP ends with ‘Before’ that vibrates into your ears with an incense laden tone. There is something about the opening that calls to a part of your brain that you don’t often engage. The arrangement of the melody sets you into a meditative stage that makes you want to close your eyes and just breathe to the sound. The calling vocals that soar from the background enhance this meditative vibe while the guitars form lances of light. As you float through the song, you are taken on a journey through your own mind with each instrumental line bringing something new to your attention. The spoken-word vocals that come through the soundscape add an interesting edge to everything.
Abrasive Trees pull you into a meditative state and take you on a journey through your mind with the poetic and soothing tracks of Now You Are Not Here. The EP is a perfect blending of rock sensibilities with the mysticism of Eastern tones. These sounds wrap around your senses and have you floating on a cloud of incense and reflective vibes.
Find out more about Abrasive Trees on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
