Experimental Rock Band Dripping Trees Ignites Reflection with Their Album “Balance is Gone”
There’s an air of haunting serenity that emanates from the album “Balance is Gone” that is impossible to ignore. Indeed, Experimental Rock band Dripping Trees has orchestrated a sonic tapestry of the world both within and apart from us, an offering to both the intimacy of the human experience and the ever-vanishing balance of nature. The album’s seven songs tread the intimate balance between blunt force and careful construction, ushering the band into an arena shaped by slowcore, post-rock and folk, while outgrowing the post-punk fringes of their previous release, Fuel of Mankind. In fact, Luc Lamée’s evocative work on piano adds a great depth, giving each song a kind of cinematic poignancy.
The opening song “Nothing’s Changed” pulls listeners in with a sort of tranquil yet sorrowful energy that’s impossible to miss. The calm, chill drums and breezy melodies provide an atmospheric backdrop for a vocal approach that, although detached and nonchalant, burrows into the deeper end of the emotive spectrum. It’s as if the song is holding up a mirror for our own insecurities — “Feel the earth beneath me shaking, sometimes I am scared of life.” Such brutal honesty makes it a song you’re unable to skip.
In the next song “Sea of Ants,” a placid atmosphere unspools, covering you in blue-shaded keys and riffs that drift like a slow tide coming in. And the lyrics evoke this imagery of insignificance in the hordes: — “In this sea of bodies, in this sea of ants, we will swim, we will drown.” — The song itself expresses the double-edged sword of striving for individuality in a shared experience.
The song “Bulging at the Seams” has a sad soft rock core laced with indie textures. The eccentric harmonica texture draws the ear, while the electric guitar implemented in the chorus offers a compelling new dimension. The song penetrates existential heaviness — “Our heads are full of divinity, we are bulging at the seams.” It’s an apt reminder of the burdens we bear, making it hit deeply personal notes.
Additionally, the following track “Ecstasy” is like a stroll through a dream of peaceful dark pop. The mournful riffs and piano melodies intertwine, fabricating an atmosphere that is both ethereal and morose. Lyrically, the lines "Sheets of glass are covering me, for whom will I be mistaken" have a slight haunting quality to them, giving off an atmosphere of introspection.
The fifth single on the album, “Waltz of Eternity” returns to a simple production concept, but it has no qualms about dealing with harrowingly deep themes. Soft pop riffs and morose piano keys accompany vocals that muse on immortality and purpose — “We’re composing our waltz of eternity, dance along to our eternal symphony.” In addition, the song encourages listeners to consider their own position in the larger framework of life.
With the album at its penultimate track, the song “Stray” continues the minimalistic theme while melancholic riff sequences with longing vocals pull at heartstrings. Other lines, such as — “I will find some peace, I will stray for weeks, I will feel no ease till I meet you there,” — communicate a never-ending search for connection and meaning. It’s hard not to listen without feeling a deep sense of empathy.
At last, the song “Balance is Gone” completes the journey with slow-burn soft rock guitar riffs accompanied by lethargic vocals. The song is a rather poignant commentary on how far humanity has strayed from nature’s bliss — “The patience is gone, I’m chopping the apple tree… The balance is gone.” The song has an environmental message, too, further hammered home by the repetitive chorus — one of urgency over the imbalance our race has created.
“We are very proud of how Balance is Gone has turned out,” said the members of the band — Luc, Koen, Stijn, Stef, and Stef. They added in the same statement:
“We believe this album has grown with us not just as musicians, but as human beings... When you listen to this record, you are listening to us.”
Yet, every track shimmers with the kind of authenticity that makes the album feel like a true representation of their time together.
More than just sounds, “Balance is Gone” is a patchwork of emotions, thoughts and narrations that sparks the mind and heart. The album grapples with issues of environmental degradation, inward struggles and whimsical stories of imaginary worlds. It’s a distinctly Dripping Trees offering —brash, introspective, and defiantly unrefined. So, if you’re ready for an album that can’t be background sound, but wants you to feel every note, every word, “Balance is Gone” wants your ears.
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