Stori Brooks – WE CLIMBED A TREE (2022)
There are pivotal moments in our lives that we share with others and will never really forget. Stori Brooks is paying homage to the emotions of these moments, through her EP WE CLIMBED A TREE. Inspired by the meeting area of three friends, the tracks traverse the happiness, ambition, security and purity experienced with friends at certain milestones in life.
Using a stunning mixture of profound lyrics, polished production and heady emotions, she takes you back in time to feel the emotions while celebrating what you shared with friends. The positivity of her music, alongside the sophisticated arrangements, have hooked her a lot of loyal listeners. Crossing genres and melding the best elements of them together, she crafts songs that are unique and really capture your attention.
‘Hello, There’ opens the EP with a warbling tone that is accompanied by popping beats that seem to tickle the back of your brain. There is a slightly distorted feeling to the melody as it rises into Brooks’ vocals. This creates a strange sepia tone to the single as you are drawn into the past and the first meeting of friends who go on to hang out by the tree. The almost acid psychedelia of the movement is wonderfully unique and combines with the layered vocals. This combination sets some serious expectations for the rest of the EP, while letting you know that you are in for a musical treat. Using tones that you might not think go together and pairing them with her light rap RnB vocals, she starts out on a high note.
The mash of sound that opens ‘Stages’ instantly grabs your attention as you tumble down into the expansive synths. There is a completely different feeling to this track compared to the opening. The synths bring a slightly whimsical touch to the sound that is darkened by the vibrations of the main melodic line. Her vocals shine out with the statement of the lyrics, followed by a question that really leaves you thinking. There is a profound touch to the vocals as they delve into something slightly existential while questioning each of our placement in the stage of the world. The trickle of sound that slowly meanders away from you toward the end of the single is a wonderful contrast to the rise of thoughts in the vocals.
‘Law and Constitution’ has a livelier feeling to the melody that gets you bouncing to the sound. There is an electronic shuffle of tones that has your body bopping to the sound, while propelling the vocals down the single. There is a complex layering of sounds throughout the single, with the shuffling beats making up the lower level, while the vocals overlap each other like thoughts that crowd your skull and are hard to sort out. Part way through the single, this initial movement slows, to allow the organic touch of the piano to take over. It is an interesting change that leads to a clash of sounds that rise in a crescendo of emotion, thoughts and expectations. The vocals scratch across your skin with a hit of attitude that flows between the rather avant-garde tones of the melody.
The short track ‘Zora in A Minor’ has a rather sombre melody in the background. This is topped by a sample-style vocal that carries the scratchiness of old vinyl. It is like you are listening to something out of time, that is still as relevant now as it was then. At only 24 seconds, this track doesn’t have much time to unleash its power, but it does so in a wonderful fashion. The power of the spoken word vocals combined with the vintage touches makes it as captivating as the other tracks.
The EP comes to a close with ‘Dreams’ which uses a slightly distorted piano line to draw you into the soundscape. This distortion blurs the lines between the organic instrument and the electronic touches of the single, that perfectly reflect the feeling of being in a dream and knowing that you are. Brooks’ vocals are wonderfully smooth on this track as she envelops you with a tender RnB movement. There is a sadness in her performance that taps into a sense of uncertainty of her place in the world, while reaching out for someone who can offer support. As with the other tracks, there is a layering of sound that blurs genres and combines notes you might not think will work together.
Through her EP, WE CLIMBED A TREE, Stori Brooks unleashes an avant-garde collection of styles, instrumentation, vocals and genres that transport you far from reality. From the first track, she draws you into something that is part nostalgia and part pure emotion. The versatility of her musicality is on full display across the tracks as she combines notes and vocals that fly through your senses, even though you think they shouldn’t work together.
Find out more about Stori Brooks on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
