Like most good things in life the latest Held By Trees release came into being as the result of a question, namely; would their evocative, instrumental sound be enhanced or hindered with vocals? The answer arrived in the shape of singer/songwriter Martin Smith who once played an opening set for the group. That gig sowed the seeds for this union and it finds both parties branching off in new and often unexpected directions. It’s a move that’ll have the Held By Trees fanbase salivating in anticipation and promises that this disc will be an intriguing proposition.

I was going to write that Martin Smith hasn’t altered Held By Trees at all, that is was the “same old band”, but on second thoughts, Held By Trees have never been the “same old” anything. Exploration has always been an integral part of their DNA, so a more pertinent statement is what new avenues would Martin open up for the group. However, I was so used experiencing Held By Trees in their instrumental guise that when Martin appears on opening track ‘You Deserve’ it stopped me in my tracks. That’s partly due to the power of Martin’s voice; like birdsong, it rings out strong and true then wends its way through the music as if a luxuriant river of silk, but it’s also the shock at hearing vocals within Held By Trees, and the optimum word being within. Unlike many voices in rock, Martin’s vocals become part of the band, rather than the sole focal point. Held By Trees have always been a fluctuating listen with some instruments brought to the fore at certain moments and receded at others, and that’s precisely what happens here. There’s little ego involved as the band set about building their evocative soundscapes in an organic fashion with Martin’s words adding, rather than detracting, from the held By Trees experience.

Vocals can be a tad “Marmite” to some; they can turn as many people off a band as they turn on, so the three tracks are also presented instrumentally, in more traditional Held By Trees style. Like a different side of the same coin, you won’t find the songs behaving in strange, new ways, yet the instrumental form does allow the listener to infer their own meaning, and by extension makes for a collaborative experience. Yet, in whatever guise the band appear, it is always engaging, and no more so than on ‘Oh, My Love’. In the spirit on charting new territory it rocks with a ‘70s disco feel that captures the more edgier end of Dire Straits.

It’s another version of ‘Lay Your Troubles Down’, remixed by ambient duo Salt of the Sound, that brings this EP to a conclusion, making it the most experimental, and (arguably) most interesting, Held By Trees release.

• Held By Trees & Martin Smith is released via Tweed Jacket Music on 27th September 2024.
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Track List:

1. You Deserve
2. Lay Your Troubles Down
3. Oh, My Love
4. You Deserve (Instrumental)
5. Lay Your Troubles Down (Instrumental)
6. Oh, My Love (Instrumental)
7. Lay Your Troubles Down (Salt Of The Sound Ambient Version)