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"Tiempo," the new single from London/Brighton bedroom pop duo Tree Trunks, is beautifully disarming. At first, it seems warm. The groove is infectious and tropical, and the sped-up reggaeton beat makes it feel like it's chasing the last light of a long summer evening. But if you look a little closer, you'll see something much more personal happening underneath the shine.
"Tiempo" has a lot of Latin pop energy. Its upbeat beat makes you want to move right away. But instead of just escaping, Tree Trunks uses that bouncy beat as a counterweight to a stream of consciousness that is calm and free of filters. The result is a song that is both happy and searching, sweet but restless. Within its bright frame, there is love for a new son, the claustrophobia of lockdown, and thoughts on how complicated Jewish roots are in light of the war in Gaza (which Sam strongly opposes). It's personal but not closed off, political but not preachy, it's a snapshot of a mind trying to make sense of a world that is changing quickly.
"Tiempo" gives us a taste of the duo's upcoming album, "Hot Fruit," which is said to be full of off-kilter pop sweetness and honest thoughts on anxiety, fatherhood, lockdown paranoia, and global uncertainty. Tree Trunks have mastered the art of turning heavy thoughts into music that makes you want to dance and feel while you float. This single is proof of that.