Wild Leaves

Wild Leaves debut EP — 2013′s Wind And Rain – reminded me strongly of the softer folk tunes from the late ’60s and early ’70s. Like quieter, softer cousins of Cat Stevens or Van Morrison. With the video for “Forever Moonlight” the group is giving out the first taste of upcoming release Hello Sunlight, and if this track is any indication of what’s on the EP, the five-piece has stuck to its laid-back roots but added a touch of rock-and-roll tempo. The ’70s folk aesthetic is still there from the pacing of the guitar riffs, to the drum beats, to the unadorned, down-to-earth vocals. The lyrics calmly state to, “Hit the road and drive / don’t need a reason why,” and that’s exactly what we’re watching. Shots of open vistas and winding roads through a trippy, kaleidoscopic lens celebrating nature, travel and altered states. - All Things Go

‘Hit the road and drive/don’t need a reason why/head for the countryside/now I have a reason why.’ Appealing advice for a twenty-something writer like me trying to figure out where the road of life is going to take me next. The bewitching lyrics come from nature-themed folk group Wild Leaves. Their new EP, titled Hello Sunlight, is a compilation of four songs each with their own ode to one of nature’s gifts, and a follow-up to last year’s debut EP, “Wind & Rain”. On the band’s website, they write that their songs are reflective of the five members moving from the Midwest United States to the music hub of Brooklyn, NY. Those particular lyrics, from the song “Forever Moonlight,” are one example of how the band takes you on a faraway trip with them and encourages you to hold on for the ride.

From the psychedelic first chords of “Open Sky” to the strong oomph accompanying the finishing lyric of ‘Carry me home,’ in the EP’s last song “Black River,” overall the collection of songs has a strong sense of unity. There’s a flow throughout each of the songs, like the flow of a river, if you will, like the lead singer is trying to describe a picture to me, of the sky, the moonlight up above, the ocean, and the accompanying river. I feel as though I am in the car with Wild Leaves, moving away from home and taking note of the imminent, but sometimes unnoticed friend on a long journey: your surroundings.

Before listening to the four-song EP, I only needed to take one look at the band’s list of influences on their Facebook page to guess I was going to be a fan. The group, which consists of Adam Lytle, Brett Banks, Cole Emoff, Genevieve Rainsberger, and Joey Deady – five friends who moved from the midwest to Brooklyn together – cite broad influences from Kris Kristofferson to Phil Spector to The Mamas and the Papas. The band members prove to be well-versed in their music and producing history and outlines their vision of what they want their music to sound like and how they want their fans to think of it. When I first heard the EP, I was impressed by the music’s ability to invite you in like a willow tree providing shelter from the rain. What keeps the songs from being classified as sleepy folk is the soft, but recognizable backing vocals of Genevieve Rainsberger, providing something of an echo in a canyon effect and keeping the viewer’s attention to catch her detail. Wild Leaves shows its instrumental prowess with the perfectly synced rhythm of the drums and the electric guitar, especially shown in “Mystic Ocean.” Still more impressive is their mastery of lyrics filled with delicious imagery that evokes only the most beautiful of pictures in my mind as I listen. - Into The Crowd Magazine

"Wild Leaves give audiences a taste of their electric guitar-laden, harmony-coated neo-folk. And the band's relocation from a mellow countryside to a booming metropolis is evident in their sound, as their music incorporates a refreshing mix of escapism, nature and spontaneity."

"Fitting for cosmopolitans and rustics alike, the warm, comforting sounds of Wild Leaves are the perfect pick-me-up for a dark rainy day or the thought that you will soon have to step out into the thick, humid air of New York City. " - Baeble Music