After moving in together into a redbrick terrace in LS6, they transformed the damp basement into a somewhat rehearsal space, using large egg trays and carpet cut-offs as make-shift soundproofing. With their own space, the band began to truly forge their own sound, and since 2016, they’ve stripped the paint from nearly every venue in Leeds, and many more across the country.
The five-piece are a sonic example of “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, with each member working to serve the song - interlocking guitar melodies are propped up by sturdy, yet intricate, rhythms. The band pits pop songs against avant-garde, kraut-punk noise to see which elements come out on top, perfectly setting the scene for abstract tales of disillusionment, loss, ill health and the occasional Bob Mortimer obsession. The lyrics often dark and sinister sounding, you don’t need to listen hard to hear the tongue-in-cheek wit and cynicism in their deliveries that is so often associated with the North of England.
After successful single releases, via Leeds’ Come Play With Me Records and London’s lauded tastemaker label Speedy Wunderground, the band self-released their debut EP Life Preserver to high praise, and this summer sees the release of their debut album.
Patience is critical to Treeboy & Arc’s art. They recorded their debut album twice, scrapping the first version after deciding it didn’t meet their standards, then focusing on experimentation, writing new songs and rearranging old ones to be re-recorded as what they now refer to as “album 2”.
With the album complete, they signed to Leeds based label Clue Records (Bored At My Grandmas House, The Wedding Present, YOWL), who recently announced their partnership with EMI North, and will release their debut album Natural Habitat on 7th July 2023.
Natural Habitat is Treeboy & Arc’s most ambitious release to date. With the opportunity to really experiment in the studio, the songs recorded became darker, harsher, and more brutal sounding than any of the original demos the band had recorded themselves. With two singers and two lyricists, the meaning of each song feels completely separate from the last. From anxiety to the supernatural, whether disguised by cryptic language or told as “matter of fact”, the album discusses the full spectrum of emotions.
The band felt it important to keep things homegrown and chose to work alongside seminal Leeds producer Matt Peel at his studio The Nave, who has worked on the likes of TRAAMS, W.H. LUNG, Eagulls, Pulled Apart By Horses, Heck, and more, helping them create a brand new sound.
Treeboy & Arc have received praise from BBC6 Music, BBC Radio 1, So Young Magazine, DIY, CLASH, and more. In 2022 they played The Great Escape, Left Of The Dial in Rotterdam, and toured Europe. They’ve previously shared stages with Parquet Courts, Shame, Ulrika Spacek, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, and toured with Crows and LIFE, as well as being supported by PRS Foundation.
Treeboy & Arc are:
James Kay - Bass / Vocals
Ben Morgan - Guitar / Vocals
Sammy Robinson - Synths
George Townend - Guitar
Isaac Turner - Drums
