Looking Out with Etai x Madxsen and "Tree"
“Even with the distance between us, the song came together quite naturally and easily,” songwriter Madysen Moreno (aka Madxsen) of Santa Clara, CA told Wormbrain about her collaborative new experimental pop track with Washington, D.C. based friend and artist Etai Fuchs (aka Etai). “Sending tracks back and forth over email forced us both to be very hands on in the entire song writing process, so the process wasn’t as disconnected as some people might assume.”
In an age where collaboration between literally distant artists working across computer lines may not be a novelty in itself, the perfect little idiosyncratic single that is Etai x Madxsen’s “Tree” shows no signs of any digital disconnect or coldness. Much like they coolly trade bouncing vocals back and forth in the song, repeating lyrics and echoing themes, Fuchs and Moreno seem to effortlessly volley position leading the track from start to finish (and again, and again, as its prime ~2:00 length is a perfect jolt ripe for looping at least a few times before moving on).
“Etai did most of the heavy lifting on this track,” Moreno tells us, while Fuchs creation of the song “was definitely inspired by some of Madxsen's music, particularly her last EP.”
Both artists openly and proudly cited Animal Collective, Panda Bear, and Vashti Bunyan as strong inspiration for the song, as well as clearly being inspired by one another, which all tracks upon immediate listen to the offbeat and eccentric, evocatively potent, oddball pop song. Beyond that, Fuchs also includes a nod to, “60s Congolese guitar music, particularly the amazing Soukous guitarist Docteur Nico.”
Photos courtesy of the artists.
“I think we created something that hails from those styles, but is inherently unique to mine and Etai’s personal styles.” Moreno said. “I was inspired particularly by Vashti Bunyan and her breathy, light vocals, and I tried my best to emulate that in this song. The entire theme is very lighthearted and reminiscent of childhood, so I found vocals like Vashti Bunyan’s would fit well.”
Lyrically, this joyful and playful nature comes through in organic symbolism with deeper meaning beneath the surface, a quality that Etai attributes to “years of admiring the lyricism of Phil Elverum of The Microphones and Mount Eerie.”
When imagining the song’s rock of reference, Moreno “thought of throwing stones, the type of rocks you’d try to find to skip across a lake or river,” while Fuchs said it “just describes self isolation.” The tree discussed gave Madxsen immediate “visions of big oak trees with old rotten treehouses perched up in the branches.”
“In one of my favorite ever songs ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, John Lennon sings ‘No one's in my tree’ and what he means is that he doesn't feel like he can relate to other people.” Etai by contrast offered a lengthier and deeper rooted explanation for the titular tree. “It's this idea of sitting in your own tree house, a place to be alone but also somewhere you can bring others. This song is about struggling to allow people into your personal life and form connections for fear of being hurt or hurting others. It's about wanting to get close to people and not worry about friendships or relationships falling apart.”
“This song is about struggling to allow people into your personal life and form connections for fear of being hurt or hurting others.”
Photos courtesy of the artists.
W.W: What is Wormbrain?
EF: You know, I don't really know what Wormbrain is but it seems really cool and I want to be friends with you Wormbrain.
MM: Wormbrain is the platform that bridges the gap between artist and listener. Wormbrain emphasizes the quirkiness of creation and the importance of sharing that creation.
W.W: Thank you for sharing with Wormbrain.
“Tree” is available now, self-released by Etai x Madxsen and streaming everywhere.
