Oliver Tree Comes Out of a Two-Week Retirement to Deliver "Let Me Down"
If there ever was an artist that embodied the idea of catharsis, it is, without question, Oliver Tree. Blending the anthemic elements of alternative rock, driving electronic production, and an infectious songwriting acumen, the genre-defying singer, songwriter, producer, and professional scooter rider has no peer. It is a notion that comes to life throughout every second of his latest single.
Produced alongside Whethan, Oliver Tree's latest single may not even hit the two-minute mark, but it packs a punch. From the acoustic-scored pleas of Tree in its opening moments to the deluge of electric guitars that follow, every moment feels larger and stranger than life. The same can be said of its accompanying DIY video, which appears to be a spoof of popular music-based YouTube channel COLORS. Tree spoke further on what inspired "Let Me Down," sharing,
"I wrote 'Let Me Down' the day after I canceled my album due to coronavirus. Canceling the release was devastating after working on this album for 5 years. Even though it was completely out of my control, I felt like I let a lot of people down so I made them this song as an apology. Even if I can't drop the album, I still want my fans to know I care about them. This week I decided to film a DIY music video in my buddy's warehouse with the help of some close friends and family. To anyone who feels let down or hurt, I ask for your forgiveness…"
"Let Me Down" arrives just days after Tree's noted retirement and the announcement that he would be canceling his highly-anticipated debut album, UGLY IS BEAUTIFUL. The announcement arrived in a tweet that stated, "MY DEBUT ALBUM 'UGLY IS BEAUTIFUL' IS OFFICIALLY CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19. It breaks my heart to say this but with the state of the world shutting down, I am unable to release this album at anytime in the foreseeable future. To be clear, I still hope to release 'Ugly is Beautiful' at some point in the next 5-10 years, however the infrastructure has crumbled."
So, is "Let Me Down" and its accompanying video a sign that Tree has officially come out of his two-week retirement? Can we expect UGLY IS BEAUTIFUL in maybe three years instead of ten? Is the infrastructure still crumbling? It is anyone's guess, but at least we have the chaotic catharsis of "Let Me Down" to carry us through whatever may come next.
Listen to "Let Me Down" below: