Ten Eighty Trees are back with a new banger single, ‘Pathfinder’. The alt-rock trio from Newcastle, excite us once again with an energised force of a rock song.
There is no cautious approach. No. You’re directly thrown into a relentless storm of energy. ‘Pathfinder’ is an over-exciting, vibrant mix of punchy drums, throbbing bass, and frantic guitar riffs. Lyrically, it’s about the feeling of being stuck, but still trusting your intuition to guide you along the way.
Nathan Newton, lead guitarist and singer, tells us: “Pathfinder began as some barely intelligible scribblings about being at a crossroads in life but keeping faith in your intuition to guide you in the right direction. The riff feels like it’s a bit on a loop juxtaposing really nicely with those lyrical themes of being stuck.”
The band uses musical repetition to emphasise the lyrical theme of being lost and running circles. But it also gives the song that enormous speedy power. In contrast to the lyrics, these repetitions don’t wear us down at all. In fact, they’re spiced up with several powerful interludes that interrupt and whirl up the track in an energetic manner.
Newton convinces with great vocals and soulful voice and stimulates the fast-paced frenzy of the song. His distinctive voice and his omnipresence throughout the song create that unmistakable Ten Eighty Trees sound.
The instrumentation is made up of punchy beat patterns and naughty riffs that create a grand rhythmic flow and capture the relentless energy of the song. The pull of it is so strong that you can’t escape it.
There’s only a short calm interlude in the middle of the song that gives you a very brief pause before it explodes into the massive outro. From 2:49 it’s full spot on and bursts into a maximum explosion of a forceful rock sound. The drums belt it out massively, pulsating bass and screeching guitar riffs roar at us. It’s immense. It’s loud and rough and leaves you completely distorted. Ten Eighty Trees are maximalists in rock. And here, they prove it.
‘Pathfinder’ is yet another energised, emotionally-charged track addition to their repertoire. Ten Eighty Trees deliver their typical vibrant and powerful sound. It’s rock at its best! Absolutely worth a listen!
They will play a headline show at the Independent club in Sunderland on 19 February. If you can, make sure you go and get amazed by their enthralling live show.