By: Adam Briggs
What do you get when you take equal parts surf rock and reggae and mix that with dashes of melancholy and discontent? You get the new single by indie rock outfit Wavy Trees, “Growing Up.”
Wavy Trees is a Los Angeles-based indie rock trio formed in 2019. The band has spent the last six years synthesizing the “general mess of being human” (as described by lead guitarist/vocalist Zack Smith), relationships, loss, partying, and more, into a blend of garage/surf rock songs that get you on your feet dancing. “Growing Up” represents the latest in this series of releases.
“Growing Up” takes their surf rock sound and blends in a Sublime-esque reggae chop rhythm. This combination provides a perfect base for the song which tells the story of someone who is on the threshold of adulthood; torn between the life of partying and friends and growing up (buy a house, get a dog, find some love/doubt). The reggae chop style helps to create a party vibe that our character is being forced to give up in favor of adulthood. At the outset of the song, some crowd audio from a Sublime concert plays, also adding to the party atmosphere.
The chorus shifts the atmosphere of the song. The reggae guitar chop is replaced by a more straightforward guitar part that seems to represent the balance shifting more towards adulthood. The party atmosphere is replaced by a more “adult” sound as the singer exclaims “growing up is so hard.” The song bounces back and forth between these two sounds, using it almost as way to represent the teetering between these two stages of life. Dynamically, this makes the song really compelling.
Emotionally, the highlight of the song is the guitar solo. The song crescendos into a beautiful guitar solo that lays bare the turmoil described in the song. It does such a great job of connecting you to this struggle and making you feel the deep conflict of this period in life.
You can find the music video for the song, directed by Sean Barrett (@mrseanbarrett) below.
You can also stream the song on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube.
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Wavy Trees is:
Zack Smith: Lead guitar/Lead vocals
Jason Espiritu: Guitar
Brian Duke: Bass
Shots From the Pit 
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