Small Steps Ahead
After a summer tour that took him over 2500 miles around Europe, Land of Trees is now releasing “Small Steps Ahead”, his second full-length album: An acoustic delight praising the value of hope through hard times and the emotional solace only nature provides.
Produced by Alexander Asp in the spring of 2018 (a Swedish artist/producer better known for “Cold Winter Love”), the album’s woody, organic sound is a musical echo of what the trees would whisper if you could understand their secret language. Soft sighs of love in a song like “You’re My Gold”; comforting, winter-chocolate hope in “If Worse Comes to Worst”; and the droplets of morning mist on the leaves in “Take the Leap”.
The light that filters through the vegetation turns into dreamy, folksy string violin or viola tunes on “The Storm” and “My Heart Beneath My Hat”, the latter with hints of an upbeat Mumford and Sons’ style.
The title song on the album, “Small Steps Ahead”, gathers the reflections of Land of Trees’ wandering spirit: “Adventure starts within. You feel it in your heart, believe it in your mind and start with small steps ahead”, explain Marcus Friman, singer-songwriter behind the Swedish one-man project.
The album also includes Land of Trees’ successful recent releases that have touched audiences worldwide. Together with his previous album, his music has reached over a million streams.
All in all, Land of Tree’s sound is reminiscent of Passenger or Stu Larsen’s love for down-to-earth acoustic arrangements. Friman adds his own distinctive, heart-on-your-sleeve vocal performance and a very hopeful, comforting tone to his lyrics. It’s the kind of voice that reminds you that you’re not alone when you need it the most. “Small Steps Ahead” will be available as a digital album on September 21th.
Cover art by: Albert Frykholm