Premiere: Lonely Trees, ‘No Man’s Love’

Kevin Bronson on
12

During Lonely Trees’ recent show at the Bootleg Theater, I wisecracked that the new L.A. quintet reminded me of “mid-period Autolux.” It’s true that the band – co-fronted Christian Stone (ex-Campfire Girls) and Annalee Fery (ex-Monsters Are Waiting) – ventures into the same kind of alluringly dissonant territory, owing mainly to the rhythm section of bassist Max Braverman and drummer Amy Wood and some off-kilter keyboards from Gueorgui Linev. But mainly Lonely Trees’ atmospheric rock, at times reminiscent of Blonde Redhead, School of Seven Bells and Ivy, keeps the melodies (and the plaintive boy/girl vocals of Stone and Fery) in plain view, occasionally floating above dance beats. The fivesome has only played three shows, and only recently completed recording a full-length album. But as first impressions go, this was strong.

||| Download: “No Man’s Love”