“Trees, Skies…” four years later
My great grandmother’s home in Florence, SC.
On April 7, 2021 I released a small four track EP Trees, Skies, and other Pretty Scenes ahead of a trip to Chicago and alongside the release of my TOUJOURS::ET POUR TOUJOURS zine. One thing I’ll always remember about this day is getting into it with my roommate about cleanliness ahead of my flight. I was so heated that day, annoyed with both the timing and the pettiness of it all, but by the time I landed at Midway, my focus was on enjoying the city of my dreams and having finally released new music after years of teasing and teasing. My relationship with the project has grown from contempt over how incomplete it felt, to adoration of the beauty of it and what it marked for me. It’s only become more relevant now in 2025 as its themes of home, grief, and commitment ring true once again as I prepare for the release of TWENTY FOUR and TWO FOUR.
The project was recorded at what is now the Hooper House at Station North Sound with my engineer at the time Will. Back then, I was listening to “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman and “Why We Ever” by Hayley Williams on repeat. We were still in the early part of the pandemic, but I was still feeling an air of positivity. I’d also spent some time at home in Florence, allowing me to just feel a sense of peace and stillness that I hadn’t. Looking back, most of it had to do with the freedom of working remotely.
The title track “Trees, Skies, and Other Pretty Scenes”, was directly inspired by home. I’d walked to a baseball field where I used to play and just being in that space brought back so many memories. I thought of who I was back then and how much I didn’t know of the world. I thought about how grateful I was to have the grandma I had who made sure to encourage me to do all I wanted to do. In the moment, Knowing that this project would be the follow up to Things Fall Apart I wanted to open the project with that sentiment of growth and learning to love myself, soundtracked by a beautiful orchestral treatment inspired by Florence and the Machine’s performance at the Royal Albert Hall.
“End of Time” is about love and commitment. I always felt that song was less complete. Maybe I’ll rerecord it in 2031 when it turns 10. Nonetheless, I love my vocals on this one. They sound strong and sure. I was strong and sure back then. “Lay Your Headdddd” was a fun lil chop of a recording I did at my friend Joy’s house. We were recording poetry and she always brings out the moe in me. I honor my friends and the people I love through snippets of their voice in my project. It’s a nice reminder when I’m listening. Even as relationships change.
“Fly As a Flower”, my favorite, is a gem I wrote inspired by the passing of my dear comrade Kevin Zeese. Dying is a terrible process - depending on how you go. But it’s painful for so many involved. Losing someone is a type of heartbreak you experience over and over and over again. I think of my grandmother daily, without exaggeration and I wonder if I’m dragging it. With “Fly As a Flower” I turn death on its heel, from a thing of loss, to a song about how I wish to experience it. I hope my passing is something soft and painless. I want to go peacefully. And for whoever is around to celebrate me to celebrate me knowing I lived a good full life. On a smaller scale of time, I would say this is a tense time for me as I battle between the life I live and the life I desire within reach. But for the most part, in the grand scheme of things, I feel now the way I felt when I wrote that project - peace. I am so thankful.
