EAST POINT – Banyan Tree (2022)
Rising from the ashes of disbanded group Rambutan Jam Band, singer-songwriter Ward Hancock and drummer Rowan Dally present EAST POINT. Drawing together their individual skills, influences and experiences in the music industry, EAST POINT is a project that is diverse, unique and all-around awesome. This is my introduction to EAST POINT, but they are already turning heads on an international scale with features in Sinusoidal Music, ParaPOP, Scenestr, and various playlists. The latest addition to their repertoire is ‘Banyan Tree’.
Assuring their fans that they will continue their “intense and honest songwriting style…”, EAST POINT has an intimate, enchanting and evocative style. Following their songs ‘Let Go’ and ‘Violet’, ‘Banyan Tree’ is a sonic exploration of life in its entirety. It touches on despair, hopelessness, confusion, frustration, anxiety and angst. The introspective single receives its name from Australian Banyan trees (often called “trees of knowledge”) and it is the knowledge of human vulnerability that EAST POINT brings to us.
Using a personal narrative, ‘Banyan Tree’ follows the past few years of Ward Hancock. Exploring his path from “losing hope in the world, finding it, then losing it again”, ‘Banyan Tree’ is an intensely intimate single. Hancock explains that the single “…is a product of relentless bombardment from world news and events; it pays homage to our society’s attempt to sweep important issues under a rug of obliviousness. I was trying hard to keep up with international issues at the time, but it took its toll; civil unrest, injustice against protesters and journalists, and issues closer to home like Indigenous deaths in custody…”
Filled with the frustration of dealing with world events and, well, life in a dystopian society, ‘Banyon Tree’ is a fusion of pounding drums, powerful guitars and rich vocals. Interestingly enough, while there is strong grunge meets punk distortion in the track, there is a sense of harmony in its screams. One thing I love about the track, along with the genre-traversing movements, is Hancock’s obscure vocal execution. You can really hear the desperation and anger in his voice; it’s like he is twirling about shouting to the sky and pulling his hair out.
Sincere, sentimental and intriguing in its brutal honesty, ‘Banyan Tree’ is something very unique. I cannot wait to see what else the Australian duo have up their sleeves.
For more from EAST POINT check out their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
