Have you ever wondered what Wilco would sound like had they been born in a town in interior British Columbia? The Kelowna-based outfit Treelines reconcile contrasting genres as they seamlessly weave: alt-country, folk, indie-rock, and power pop into their latest EP, Courage. There’s a nostalgic quality to Courage that reads distinctly nineties. Yet the EP doesn’t feel dated; instead, Courage plays like an album from a band that has embraced the blue-collar ethos of the city they represent.
Treelines have been around for a couple of years now, but have most recently enjoyed notoriety as a finalist in the Peak Performance Project. With Courage the band further refines their unique sound while exploring new lyrical depths. The EP’s titular track is an emotional anthem that contrasts the violent hills and valleys of life and its eventual end. Lockhart wails, “Courage is the will to keep fighting/When darkness knows that you’re coming.” The song is a standout on the EP and a sure sign of a band that is on the cusp of maturing into something potentially outstanding. Time will tell if they can reach these heights, but as of now Treelines are trending in the right direction.
You can catch Treelines on Thursday at the Biltmore with Sidney York and Ruffled Feathers for Vancouver’s first of the Steamwhistle Unsigned Series.
Written by Patrick Do, Staff Writer – Fistful of Sound
Follow Channels and Categories