''Trees'' (stylised as ''TREES'') is the second studio album by Avantdale Bowling Club, the solo project of New Zealand rapper Tom Scott. Released in September 2022, the album debuted at number one on the

Official New Zealand Music Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Musi ...

Production

Scott worked together with former At Peace bandmate Christoph El Truento to create the album. The pair worked to create a more modern sound on the album compared to the debut Avantdale Bowling Club album from 2018, by incorporating auto-tune, newer drum machines and accordion.

Release and promotion

As a part of the 2022

New Zealand International Film Festival New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, Scott released ''Trees'', an 18-minute short film directed by Scott that depicts a dystopian world where trees have been banned. The film starred Bruce Hopkins, and was scored by Avantdale Bowling Club. Scott toured New Zealand in November and December 2022, performing six dates including performances at the

Auckland Town Hall Auckland Town Hall is an Edwardian building on Queen Street in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand, known both for its original and ongoing use for administrative functions (such as Council meetings and hearings), as well as its famed Great Hall and ...

and the

St. James Theatre, Wellington The St. James Theatre (previously known as His Majesty's Theatre, and the Westpac St. James Theatre from 1997 to 2007, usually referred to simply as "The St. James") is a stage theatre located in the heart of New Zealand's capital city, Wellingto ...

Critical reception

Everything Is Noise chose ''Trees'' as one of their top 75 albums of 2022, while Hip-Hop Golden Age chose ''Trees'' as the 14th best hip-hop album of 2022, praising the album as "an effortless fusion of neo-jazz and Hip Hop", noting that "''Trees'' is more subtle and humble than Avantdale Bowling Club's eponymous masterpiece debut".

Track listing

Credits and personnel

*Tom Broome – recording (2) *Cory Champion – drums, vibraphone *Tom Dennison – additional bass *Julien Dyne – drums *Christoph El Truento – mixer, producer *Guy Harrison – keyboards, trumpet *Brandon Haru – keyboards *Daniel Hayles – keyboards *Haz Beats – producer (2) *Hershel Hersche – accordion *

Troy Kingi Troy Kingi (born 1984) is a New Zealand musician and actor from Northland, first receiving media attention when he appeared in the 2013 film '' Mt. Zion''. Kingi is a multi-instrumentalist, is known for his 10/10/10 project: the plan to release ...

– additional vocals *Ben Lawson – mixer, recording engineer *Jong-Yung Lee – saxophone *Parks – keyboards *Rizvan – additional vocals * Tom Scott – concept, vocals *Manhit Singh – tabla *

Hollie Smith Hollie Smith (born 17 November 1982) is a New Zealand soul singer-songwriter based in Auckland, New Zealand. Her four solo albums ''Long Player, Humour and the Misfortune of Others, Water or Gold,'' and ''Coming In From The Dark'' have all reach ...

– additional vocals *Dallas Tamaira – additional vocals *Mara TK – additional vocals, guitar, sitar *Jeremy Toy – additional guitar *Lui Tuiasau – additional vocals *Ben Turua – bass *Tonga Vaea – additional vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trees Avantdale Bowling Club 2022 albums Jazz albums by New Zealand artists Hip hop albums by New Zealand artists