Track Premiere: Tree River—”You”

Posted: 6th November, 2019 by The Editor

It’s wild to think that the emo revival has been an ongoing phenomenon for almost 10 years now. Long enough for bands to draw influence (or at the very least comparisons) to some of the broader movement’s earlier acts. “You” is the latest song from the Brooklyn band Tree River, who’re putting out an EP called Garden on 11/15. The track, which we’re premiering below, pulls equally from the nasally, dreary alt-emo of Balance and Composure circa 2013, and the chipper indie pop-punk of Oso Oso.

The quartet tapped emo laureates Say Anything and the cult-adored Weatherbox as their inspirations for Garden, which makes sense considering Tree River also conflate youthful pop-punk with thoughtful (and well-produced) indie-rock of the living room stereo variety. The first half of “You” is propped up by a twirly lead lick and a bouncing chorus, but its second movement features a deconstructing bridge that spirals back upward in a dizzying whirlwind of riffs and rhythmic noodlings. It’s melody is sturdy but everything else feels like it could fall apart at any moment. It never quite does lose its footing, but it’s fun as hell to play it back and breathe in that tension.

Stream it below:

You by Tree River

Garden will be self-released on 11/15, and two days earlier they’ll be playing their EP release show at Gold Sounds.

—

Eli Enis | @eli_enis

The Alternative is ad-free and 100% supported by our readers. If you’d like to help us produce more content and promote more great new music, please consider donating to our Patreon page, which also allows you to receive sweet perks like free albums and The Alternative merch.