Old Trees’ "Elatseyi" is a neon jungle of sound & spirit - Interview
With Elatseyi, Old Trees continues its mission to blur the line between disorientation and delight. The new four-track EP, crafted by Zachariah Watson, former frontman of Time Pilot and the restless mind behind this project, feels like a passport to a universe where folk traditions, electronic experiments, and global pop mutations coexist in harmony. It’s a record that thrives on contradictions: earthy yet otherworldly, chaotic yet carefully composed, playful yet deeply moving.
Watson’s vision has always leaned toward the left field, but Elatseyi pushes even further into experimental terrain. Built from a palette of textures and samples collected like souvenirs, the songs swirl into each other with dreamlike logic, sometimes dissolving into fractured loops, other times bursting into dazzling melodies. The result is immersive music that feels just as suited for a headphone journey on a cross-country drive as it does for wandering into the woods and letting the soundscape sync with the natural world around you.
Animal Collective comparisons come naturally, but what Watson accomplishes here is unmistakably his own. There’s a fearless originality in the way he splices world influences, snippets of pop, and folk filtered through glitch and growl, without ever losing the sense of melody at the core. Beneath the bubbling electronics and experimental flourishes lies an undeniable warmth, a beating heart that invites listeners to not just observe, but to participate.
The inspiration behind Elatseyi gives the EP even more depth. As Watson shared in our recent conversation, much of the concept was born during road trips across Georgia, passing through small towns and unincorporated places with names that sparked visions of mystical, faraway lands. That sense of hidden beauty and overlooked wonder permeates the music, making the EP feel like both a tribute and an act of discovery.
In our interview, Watson emphasized the importance of creating what pleases him first, breaking norms and trusting that authenticity resonates. That ethos radiates through every second of this EP.
Old Trees have crafted one of their most intriguing works yet, a bold statement from an artist unafraid to chart his own course through uncharted sound. Go ahead and give it multiple listens, because we can virtually guarantee there’s so much to absorb you might miss it on the first go around.
Click those links below to check it out, follow along for more, and of course to learn more about it by enjoying our conversation.
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