Mostly Trees

Minnesota band, Mostly Trees, prepares for the release of their self-titled album featuring 10 singles perfect for all Rock fans everywhere or any one seeking new music to discover!

Each song delivers a different set of beats and range of vocals showcasing what they can do together as a band. Once the album is released, make sure to listen to “Seen It All,” “Lies,” and “Fell Off Of It.”

The second single off of MOSTLY TREES, “22nd and 2,” brings a nostalgic feeling as the band reminisce spending spending time with someone who isn’t in their life anymore. They share their emotions with lyrics like “I wonder if you could feel my pain or touch” and knowing where that person is but not being able to see them with “22nd and 2 is where you are.”

The music video allows each member to show off their musical and instrumental skills. It is all shown in black and white, which helps the video elegantly capture the viewers attention as the camera slides from one memebr to the other. Watch the video below: - Music Trails

Mostly Tree’s self-titled album was recorded at Pachyderm Recording Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, which is where Midwestern legends (Soul Asylum and The Jayhawks), as well as just plain legends (Nirvana tracked In Utero there) have also laid down tracks. It’s too soon to tell if Mostly Trees will be local or international legends, but this tight ten-song album is one high quality effort and moves the group in the absolute right direction.

Jon Po plays bass and sings the group’s songs with pained urgency, which make these tracks immediately impactful and memorable. The album opens with “Ride,” which is an insistent rocker that also includes elements usually associated with shoegaze rock music. It’s not shoegaze, but this unexpected guitar tone makes it a most noteworthy album opener. Po’s bass skills come to the fore during “Lies,” which opens with an especially ominous bass part. When Po sings, he has a bit of a haggard, scratchy tone. This approach emphasizes the pain in his voice. Maybe it’s this tone, or the overall lyrical approach of these songs, but Po and Mostly Trees most often sound down and brokenhearted. Nothing on this album suggests, ‘Hey dude, let’s party!’

Although many of these songs get set into a relatively predictable groove, and then just ride that out until the end, “Seen It All” features an especially cool middle section. The band is good at creating consistent mood pieces, although it would be welcome if the act experimented a little more, the way it does with “Seen It All.” Predictability is not always a bad thing, as the Ramones set the example for being both predictable and amazing at the same time. However, listeners can begin to tune out whenever tracks show all their cards at the outset, without revealing anything up their sleeves.

STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/mostlytrees/sets/mostly-trees/s-ddRpp

“It’s Been Winter,” a song subject only a true Midwesterner can sing with personal knowledge, begins with a driving bass line. With it, the bass does most of the leg work, while guitars are utilized more for coloring and accents.

While loudly depressed and angry are descriptions that come to mind again and again on Mostly Trees’ album, “Feel Off of It” turns down the volume considerably. This one is moody and more than a little eerie. Although it’s not initially clear what Po is attempting to say with the song’s words, this shift in sonic volume grabs your attention and causes you to focus – even more intently than with the album’s louder examples. “You know your love is waiting back at home,” Po repeats on the song’s outro.

The album closes with “Not a One,” another recording that slips shoegaze-esque guitar elements into its mix. Po’s vocal is even more ragged than usual. Not quite Kurt Cobain tortured, but certainly getting there.

http://www.instagram.com/mostly_treesband

There are a lot of appealing elements on Mostly Tree’s album to grasp onto, which leaves it relevant – even with so many of its retro elements. These musicians love playing rock and roll. It’s obvious. Even though they sound more than a little pained in parts, they nevertheless retain an enthusiasm for loud, guitar-oriented music. Mostly Trees is mostly topnotch, then. - Skope Mag

MOSTLY TREES release their self-titled ten track debut album this coming December. With two singles already available, ‘22nd and 2’ and ‘Ride’, momentum is beginning to build around this Minneapolis based Rock/Grunge four piece; John Nelson (drums), Jon Po (bass and vocals), Joel Korte (guitar), Dan Crowe (guitar).

Although each musician has a long history of performance in various compositional iterations, this is the first time that the band have united under the name MOSTLY TREES. Their debut album is set to be released in December of this year and was recorded at Pachyderm Studios by Nick Tveitbakk with Ed Ackerson of Flowers Studio adding additional production.
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From what we have heard so far, the production quality of this album is excellent. Although the technical categorisation of MOSTLY TREES is Rock/Grunge, we propose that their Twitter description of “Dream Pop Shoegaze Grunge” is a perfect encapsulation of their latest single release ’22nd and 2’.

Sitting at around 120bpm, this B-major track begins with an ambient fade into a music-only introduction that amalgamates a simplistic yet perfectly mixed guitar riff that follows an infectious drum-beat, complimented by a rhythmic bass line that unites the instrumentation. The stylistic ambience engulfs all empty space within the track creating a dream-like auditory experience that is reminiscent of an Angels and Airwaves of old.


The chosen vocal colour from lead singer Jon Po, although emotive, contains an element of gravel that one presumes he is intentionally restricting as a means of adding to the dream-pop style of this track. If you’re interested in hearing the diversity of this band, we would highly recommend that you have a listen to the second single release: ‘Ride’.

This track is wonderfully diverse in contrast to ‘22nd and 2’ with a heavier more rock orientated style which will leave you eagerly waiting in anticipation for the full album that will surely continue to impress. Ensure that you check out their latest video release for ‘22nd and 2’ (see top of page) for an inside look into their recording process.

If you would like to hear more about their new album release directly from the band, listen in to Mostly MN Music on December 7th. - Woke Chimp

Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
We have been really well.
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “22nd And 2″?
This single is personal to me (Jon the lead singer) because I wrote it about seeing someone who is not there.
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
The passing of my mother was a big influence in this song.
How was the filming process and experience behind the video?
The process was easy as we were recording the songs at the time so our focus was real and true. so you can see us screw up on the album in real time.
The single comes off your new self-titled album. why naming the record after the band?
We have always had a hard time naming things so this was the easy out.
How was the recording and writing process?
We all have came from different writing backgrounds but have transitioned very easily to this new aspect of having a say in the writing, music and lyrics of this record. The recording process was first manifested in a deep woods lodge in the late winter 2017 and we came out of it ready for what we needed to do.
Would you call this a departure from your previous musical work?
It was more of a collaborative effort this time.
What role does Minneapolis play in your music?
This is where we live and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
What aspect of loss and personal growth did you get to explore on this record?
A lot. we have had a lot of things happen in writing this record that we need to overcome. We all learned, however, that writing this record was what we needed.
Where else did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?
The lyrics were secondary. The melody of the song comes first.
Any plans to hit the road?
We just returned from hitting up Eau Claire and Chicago for a small leg to showcase the new tunes as well as played a local show. We plan on playing more midwest shows this spring.
What else is happening next in Mostly Trees’ world?
The record will be released nationally on December 20th on all major outlets and we hope to play a city near you! - Vents Magazine