It is a pleasure to announce the debut release of the Threshold EP by Of the Trees on Gravitas Recordings. This one got me hooked, it’s been playing on repeat in my car for days, and I have no intention of switching my attention any time soon. This doesn’t happen easily, for I usually can’t go long without needing to listen to something else, but with this, it just gets better and better, peeling back layer upon layer of crisp, smooth transitions, builds, and breakdowns. There is something undeniably irresistible, and it is especially exciting to think about what more there is to come from this young artist.
The title track, ‘Threshold’, really did it for me, instantly impressive, and aptly named, taking you to that place where vast potential lies ahead. It creates such a euphoric feeling, as if you are soaring above the clouds on the wings of one of those Avatar creatures that takes you coasting through epic valleys and mountain ranges which echo an ethereal melody. The track takes you there and then back to the dance floor, getting crunk with that gritty bass, the kind that really makes the floor shake, as glittering synths rain down in laser droplets. The other tracks are all individually badass as well, sounding exactly as Of the Trees’ SoundCloud describes it: cosmic dustcrunk.
The second track, ‘First Flight‘ takes off with throbbing underground bass, giving way to spine shivering distorted subs and tranced-out evil synths. ‘Tion Cluster‘, sounds like stumbling upon a cluster of shining faceted crystals reflecting millions of lights and surrounded by grimy bass that would get any dance party pumped up. And the last track, ‘Radiogenic‘ breaks it down for us and carries the listener through hyphy glitch that builds to a seductively smooth intensity. There is some serious music going on here and this EP is going to make waves. The artist, Tyler Coombs, from Portland, Maine, is giving away the release he’s spent many months working on as a free download.
“I hope the overall accessibility of these 4 songs leads to them ending up on more hard drives, iPods, mixtapes, Youtube videos, etc., which means a whole lot more than some cash to me,” he says. This investment is a smart move on Coombs’ part, leaving nothing in the way of anyone getting to hear this immaculately pieced together EP — so get it, burn it on a CD, and give it to a friend for Christmas.
Download today [12.12.12] from the Gravitas Bandcamp Page. Stay up to date on all things Of the Trees via his Facebook and SoundCloud pages.
