SPOTLIGHT: WAVY TREES
Meet Wavy Trees and tune into their newest single “Nothing But You.”
If Wavy Trees were the soundtrack to a chaotic backyard party, what three songs would be playing before your set starts?
The 3 songs would probably be "Party Hard" by Andrew W.K, "Cheap Beer" by Fidlar and "Makes Me Wanna Die" by White Reaper.
You’ve been described as if Wayne’s World and Bill & Ted collided. How much of your sound and aesthetic comes from that kind of nostalgic energy?
I would say every part of us is within the Bill & Ted pre-2000s vibe. We are bringing back the Daytona Beach 1990's vibe to a city near you.
What’s the origin story of Wavy Trees? How did the band come together back in 2019?
Wavy Trees started when I was in the redwoods. I was tripping on strawberry rock with a bunch of hippies and all the redwood trees were wavy, and I thought that would be a sick band name. Brian and Jason were in another band at the time, and I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have them in Wavy with me now. It was fate.
Your new single “Nothing But You” is a wild contradiction: loving one person deeply while falling in love with everyone else. How do you balance that emotional chaos when writing lyrics?
That's a really good question. I think everyone that's in love falls in love all the time. They just would never admit it. I'm actually the single guy in the band so there is no need to balance, it's just all love.
Zack, you’ve said the song is about “no one in particular and everyone you’ve ever loved” was this written from a place of heartbreak, humor, or both?
A little bit of both. Love is hard, or maybe I just had terrible dating experiences in the past. Only time will tell.
How did the concept for the animated, PlayStation 1-style music video come together? It’s such a unique visual experience.
The early low-poly Playstation 1 era of graphics is one of my favorite aesthetics. Aside from the obvious nostalgia that it brings, that style of graphics seems to just activate your imagination and feels so much more than the hi-fi photorealistic graphics of today's era. Maybe because of the limitations of the graphics, you're not having what you're supposed to see and feel spelled out for you to the letter - your imagination has to fill in the blanks so in a way it becomes more personal to you. Thinking about it now, the same might be able to be said about our music!
Jason, as the guitarist and the creative mind behind the video, what inspired you to go full retro-gaming style for this release?
Just like lyrics or a guitar line can come to you in an instant, almost like a gift from another dimension - so did this video idea. The first time I played back a rough mix I made of "Nothing But You", the entire video idea played out in my head in one-go. Almost every shot that you see in the video came to me in real-time from front to back. Not sure how that happened but I'm glad it did because I already had my work cut out for me just animating all of the shots!
What’s the creative process like for the band, do the lyrics or riffs usually come first?
Usually it's a riff or something we hear that makes us feel something could by from any instrument and then I write on top of it lyrically.
There’s a lot of garage-punk energy in your sound. Who are your biggest musical influences, both collectively and individually?
Influences range from all over the place. From Fidlar to Weezer and George Strait. We are inspired from all kinds of genres and artists.
You’ve opened for Bikini Trill, what did you take away from that experience, and how has it shaped your live performance style?
What I took away from that is we need to play everywhere outside of LA! Shows are incredible on the road!
Your music toes the line between chaotic fun and emotional depth—do you ever struggle to find that balance, or does it come naturally?
I'd say chaotic fun and emotional depth is a great representation of my life, so I'd say it comes naturally.
What’s one weird or unexpected thing that always happens when you guys play live?
People steal our setlists after our sets and I love it, you guys can have them!
If “Nothing But You” had to exist in a 90s video game, what would the game be called and what level would this song be played in?
It would be called "Saving Lola" and the song would be played all throughout the journey of saving her.
How do you want listeners to feel after watching the video and blasting the single for the first time?
Like their heart is melting ... but in an uplifting way.
What’s next for Wavy Trees? more retro madness, more heartbreak anthems, or something totally different?
We have a bunch of shows coming up, releasing a live EP and an album by the end of the year. Stay tuned!!! and to everyone listening WE LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! Thanks so much.
Listen to “Nothing But You” here.
