With a perfect hitting build-up, Ten Eighty Trees opened Brand New Skin getting the listeners at the edge of their seats waiting for the blasting energy booster to come. The pounding jazzy drumming and fluid melodic guitar riffs took Brand New Skin’s dynamics to the next level, offering an escalating sound that smoothly progressed with relentless energy towards a bigger sound, with catchy hooks and engaging melodies that kept the listeners always hooked and entertained. Brand New Skin has a massive sound with an irresistible flow, groove, and amazing guitar work that maintains its high energy and blasting vibes that I believe would drive the audience crazy when played live.

Brand New Skin is a solid tune with a massive unstoppable flow that reminds me of old-school pop punk that’s mixed with alternative melodies in a unique mix that was cleverly crafted by Ten Eighty Trees, showing off their writing skills, musicianship, and clear knowledge of their sound and direction. I’ll be looking forward to more from Ten Eighty Trees, keep on rocking guys. Cheers!

The EP begins with Running Back 2 U, which tells the story of a lover who resents his ex and vows to “never run back to her”. The song is extremely well-produced and sounds like a good amount of work was put into its creation. The song begins with a groovy and uptempo bassline, which is shortly followed by larger-than-life guitars and powerful drums. The song also has one of the catchiest choruses I’ve ever heard, thanks to the amazing lead vocals which are well-spaced and intense. The additional backing vocals serve their purpose well and make the track all the more anthemic and catchy. The second track, THE INCUBATOR, is much heavier and has a darker atmosphere. Thanks to the tone of the guitars, thumpy basslines, and fast-paced drums. The intensity and speech with which they play and the screamy vocals remind me heavily of 2000s Alt. Rock and Nu-Metal. The palm-muted riffs are the best thing here in my opinion, besides the vocalis showing how versatile he is too. The lyrics deal with themes of social anxiety and alienation mindfully and creatively and it’s nothing short of a modern rock masterpiece. 

Wear Me Down is a relatively shorter (midtempo) track that discusses being burnt out, and similarly, its sound shows clean guitars in between the heavier distorted ones which conveys feelings of exhaustion and desperation. During the bridge, the lyrics speak of self-reflection and how the person realizes that the pressure the person puts on himself is what wears him down. Never Let U Down (Again) is fiercer and reminds me of 2000s Post-Grunge because of its supercharged bass line and guitar chord progression. The vocals are very unique here and they delve into deeper/lower parts in the chest register and a much higher head voice in the chorus. It’s without a doubt that this vocalist is exceptionally gifted with his wide range but what proves these guys’ total mastery is how they put it to use extremely well and write memorable lead vocal lines with awesome backing segments to put emphasis on them too. The fifth and final track, Can’t Live Twice, brings back the anthemic vibes with its clean guitar chord progression and reverbed vocals. The bass and drums are on point (as expected from Ten Eighty Trees by this point). This song has the best guitars on the whole record for me because of the melodic segment that plays after the verse and the buildup to the chorus.

 If you’re looking for great 2000s-alternative inspired guitars, a bassist that plays with precision and groove, and a drummer that plays with pummeling strength, then look no further than Ten Eighty Trees. This EP will most certainly be a major hit, once it gets the promotion it deserves and once these super catchy tracks get played for live audiences.

“The Incubator” got me off my seat right from its powerful intro waiting for what’s coming next just to get hit by a heavy-hitting verse. The energetic heavy riffing in the verse with that power-driven vocal delivery will get you headbanging instantly, I believe this is going to sound amazing when played live. The chorus took a dynamic twist by being less heavy while keeping the groove alive giving the vocal melody the space to shine. It has a really interesting structure with hyped-up dynamics that’ll get you hooked once you push play.

“The Incubator” sounds like a well-organized riot! It has an energetic and engaging structure with well-written and arranged dynamics. It’ll keep you off your feet and release a lot of anger without losing its melodic core. I’ll be keeping an eye on Ten Eighty Trees and will definitely be looking forward to more, cheers!