Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams
| Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 21, 2025 | |||
| Studio |
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| Length | 42:59 | |||
| Label | ATO | |||
| Producer | Chris Funk | |||
| Patterson Hood chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams | ||||
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Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams is the fourth studio album by American singer Patterson Hood. It was released on February 21, 2025, in LP, CD, and digital formats, by ATO Records.[1]
Background
[edit]Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams was written with inspiration from memories of Hood's earlier years, including those of his relationship, his fascination with Pinocchio, and attended parties.[1] Centering on the theme of introspection of his childhood until his early adulthood,[2] the album features the work of artists such as Katie Crutchfield and Steve Berlin.[1] In an interview with PopMatters, Hood mentioned that some of the songs were written between 1970 and 1994 while several others were written during the COVID-19 lockdown.[3] Hood's piano performance in the album was his first on a recorded project.[2]
Consisting of ten songs, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams is Hood's first album since Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance in 2012.[4] It was produced by his long-time friend and multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk, at several locations in Georgia and Oregon, including Chase Park Transduction in Athens, JackPot Studio, and the Panther in Portland.[1]
The lead single, "A Werewolf and a Girl", was released on November 20, 2024, and features singer Lydia Loveless.[5][6] Hood wrote it in August 2021 about a relationship with his significant other during his time in high school.[7] On January 15, 2025, Hood released the album's second single, "The Pool House", featuring a music video directed by Frances Thrasher, who also designed the album cover art.[8]
Reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Slant | [4] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[9] |
| Paste | 7.8/10[2] |
AllMusic described the album as "the most carefully crafted and cohesive solo effort Hood has released to date," and rated it four out of five.[1] Stephen M. Deusner of Pitchfork stated in his review of the album that "Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams is about the perspective that adulthood brings: the ability to comprehend all the small tragedies that happened (and are happening) around us, not least of which is the distance that imposes itself between our current selves and our foundational memories."[9] Slant Magazine noted that "the melodic, piano-based songwriting and lush, evocative orchestrations that are abundant throughout represent a level of sonic exploration that Hood has never approached before," giving Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams four stars out of five.[4] Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan remarked that the composition of the album featured "some gentle acoustic guitar, the occasional fuzzed-out electric, horns, vintage analog synths, and some sweeping string arrangements,"[10] while No Depression referred to it as "a powerhouse set from an artist who doesn't conflate self-assuredness with complacency."[11] Paste Magazine assigned it a rating of 7.8 out of ten, calling it "an expansive but subtle collection of songs that include strings, woodwinds and analog synthesizers."[2]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Exploding Trees" | 4:17 |
| 2. | "A Werewolf and a Girl" (featuring Lydia Loveless) | 4:03 |
| 3. | "The Forks of Cypress" (featuring Waxahatchee) | 5:01 |
| 4. | "Miss Coldiron's Oldsmobile" | 5:13 |
| 5. | "The Pool House" | 3:18 |
| 6. | "The Van Pelt Parties" (featuring Wednesday) | 3:10 |
| 7. | "Last Hope" | 3:56 |
| 8. | "At Safe Distance" | 5:19 |
| 9. | "Airplane Screams" | 4:45 |
| 10. | "Pinocchio" | 3:57 |
| Total length: | 42:59 | |
Personnel
[edit]Credits for Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams adapted from AllMusic.[1]
- Patterson Hood – composer, guitar, harmony, liner notes, piano, vocals
- Steve Berlin – flute, saxophone
- Kevin Morby – guitar
- MJ Lenderman – guitar
- Karly Hartzman – harmony
- Katie Crutchfield – harmony
- Xandy Chelmis – pedal steel guitar
- Brad Cook – bass
- Nate Query – bass
- Brad Morgan – drums
- Dan Hunt – drums
- Phil Cook – dobro, organ, piano
- Stuart Bogie – clarinet, harmonica, sax, woodwind
- Chris Funk – bass, harmony, mellotron, piano, synthesizer, vocals
- Kyleen King – string arrangements, viola, violin, vocals
- Lydia Loveless – vocals
- Jay Gonzalez – autoharp, keyboards
- David Barbe – bass, engineer
- Steve Drizos – drums, engineer
- Zach Bloomstein – engineer, mixing
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Steve Fallone – mastering
- Frances Thrasher – cover art
- Lilla Hood – art direction
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Deming, Mark. "Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams – Patterson..." AllMusic. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Danton, Eric (February 21, 2025). "Review: Patterson Hood Looks Inward on Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams". Paste. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ Stout, Brian (February 12, 2025). "Drive-By Truckers' Patterson Hood Goes Through the Looking Glass". PopMatters. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c Winograd, Jeremy (February 17, 2025). "Patterson Hood Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams Review". Slant. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ Jones, Abby (November 20, 2024). "Drive-By Truckers' Patterson Hood Announces First Solo Album In 12 Years". Stereogum. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ Bonner, Michael (November 22, 2024). "Hear Patterson Hood's new track, "A Werewolf And A Girl"". Uncut. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ Kelly, Tyler (November 22, 2024). "Kevin Morby and Waxahatchee feature on Patterson Hood's first solo album in 12 years, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ Gregory, Allie (January 15, 2025). "Drive-By Truckers' Patterson Hood Gets Waxahatchee, Wednesday for New Solo Album, Shares "The Pool House"". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ a b Deusner, Stephen (March 19, 2025). "Patterson Hood: Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ Sacher, Andrew (February 21, 2025). "Patterson Hood – Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams (ATO)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ Ferguson, Maeri (February 17, 2025). "ALBUM REVIEW: Patterson Hood Matures on Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams". No Depression. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
External links
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