A turbulent well of emotion is explored in Towers and Trees’ latest album, The West Coast.
Vulnerable moments of grief entangle themselves with hope.
“It’s about forgiveness, choosing to let go of what was and move forward again,” said Adrian Chalifour, lead singer and songwriter for Towers and Trees. “That turbulence, that agitation produced a lot, there was a lot to draw from. The whole thing was an inherently healing process.”
The West Coast was a “personal album,” said Chalifour, adding writing the songs was very cathartic.
His grief just started to naturally pour into his writing process. Chalifour was bidding adieu to a 12-year relationship, that included a seven-year marriage, that began in high school. Experiencing divorce made him question things. Life wasn’t turning out how he envisioned it when he was younger.
Even though his songs deal with heavier issues, the main undercurrent is a belief love is still possible.
While fans were attending shows for the band’s first album, Broken Record, Chalifour was writing about heartbreak and coming to terms with his loss.
Broken Record, released in 2013, was a home recording.
“The record was very organic, grassroots,” he said, but as the band started playing the songs live they started growing.
The West Coast is a polished, studio-produced album. To create the album’s sound the band worked with producer Alex Aligizakis.
“We made the album itself as big as possible, talked about creating a sonic landscape,” said Chalifour. “We wanted to challenge the live songs to be as big as the album.”
He said when the band comes together onstage they are able to “create a really fun energy.”
Vancouver Island’s landscape weaves itself throughout the lyrics.
“This is where all these stories and experiences unfolded,” said Chalifour. “The backdrop and the stories just became so stitched together.”
Chalifour’s writing process for songs is enigmatic.
“It is a relationship that is still evolving,” said Chalifour about his songwriting process. “My kind of dance with music has always had that semi-mysterious quality to it.”
Towers and Trees performs with special guest J.P. Maurice Saturday (Jan. 16) at the Queen’s as part of the band’s The West Coast album tour. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance from Lucid, The Dog’s Ear, Desire Tattoo, the Queen’s or www.ticketzone.com, or $15 at the door.
For more information please go to www.towerandtreesmusic.com.
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