Treefort Music Fest is making its long-awaited return to Boise from September 22-26. All month long, we'll be featuring our favorite tracks by artists from the 400+ lineup, which includes Wild Honey Pie favorites like Japanese Breakfast, Tennis and The Marías.

The festival, originally scheduled for March 2020, was postponed due to COVID-19. To ensure the safety of attendees, Treefort will be requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result, as well as encouraging festivalgoers to have masks on hand, as various forts will be mask-only. According to Festival Director Eric Gilbert, “This unique September version of Treefort is shaping up to be one of our best yet and we are looking forward to bringing the Treefort family back together to share and discover great music.” Tickets and more information are available here.

Chasing the tail of "Pigs Is Pigs," "Darling" opens with a starkly contrasting 5 seconds of meditative, wave-like static. Quiet, but steadfast octave jumps emerge next, in the form of a guitar flooded in reverb until time becomes almost meaningless. Heartbeat-like drums remind you where the beat falls, like the sound of your own breath in a dark room. It’s almost tempting to describe the track as unlike anything Mannequin Pussy has ever done, ending their Perfect EP in surprisingly delicate and tender territory. Its warmth is more like still-burning embers rather than the fire and brimstone that dominates the rest of Mannequin Pussy’s discography; however, it has the same lyricism full of brash vulnerability that cuts through everything in its path. The hot-blooded reconciliation of pain and the beauty of feeling intensely is reminiscent of "Drunk II," as the track dynamically moves through both states simultaneously. Each time the hook hits, it sounds even more like a challenge than a promise. “Darling, I will always defend you” becomes a double-edged dare, daring your darling to reciprocate your defense and daring the rest of the world to provide an opportunity to show your devotion. "Darling" is a beautiful example of what makes Mannequin Pussy’s work so deliciously compelling. It’s embracing your feelings with brutal honesty and rebelliously refusing to be ashamed of their intensity. It’s facing forward against whatever’s next, grasping your love’s hand tightly all the way, and proclaiming “I feel fiercely, and I am not afraid." Photo by Uv Lucas.

Following her popular first record Clean, Soccer Mommy (aka Sophie Allison) continues to release songs with hooks that’ll replay over and over again in your head. Like her two previous singles, her latest track “circle the drain” retains her signature guitar-driven soundscape. She mixes it with emotionally revealing lyrics that are delivered through angelic vocals. Her voice flutters inside your ears, tricking you with its warmth—making it easy to gloss over the depth and dissonance in her words. Wrapped up in her cheerful sounding production she sings, “Hey I’ve been falling apart these days / Split open watching my heart go round and around,” the duality of her artistry floating out in the most beautifully subtle way. Allison’s work is perfect for staring out the train car window during your commute and reminiscing about the times that have already passed you by. Her new album color theory comes out February 28 and you can also catch her on the road when she starts her international tour in March.

Nostalgic and lush, “Big King,” the catchy new single from Brooklyn-based duo Fake Dad, is lo-fi midnight magic. The track defies genres, pulling from indie pop, r&b and rap elements, and emphasizes the opulence and fantasy of influence by juxtaposing cool, dreamy beats with images of grandeur. The instrumentation is delightfully strange: a lovely, reverberating piano and groovy, r&b-inspired percussion coast over the satisfying crackle of a retro synth, while rapper Leke’s verse is a surprising and energizing addition to the arrangement. The track’s cozy, crisp production evokes the indulgence of late-night pillow talk and unfiltered intimacy and is the perfect compliment to vocalist Andrea de Varona’s velvety, ethereal voice. Her lyrics conjure up images of a big king ruling precariously over a glass mountain, lending themselves to larger questions of success and its relationship to truth. “Big King” is pensive and dynamic, and adds an entirely new dimension to Fake Dad’s signature comforting sound.

Moon Bounce returns with "Hook," the leading single off his sophomore record Skip Intro, due February 21. With an orthodox vocal melody to contrast Corey Regensburg's signature pervasive dissonance, "Hook" came of his "full-blown infatuation" in the early stages of the relationship with his now-wife, South African rapper Push Push. It's fixation at its finest as he sings, "You're a fabulous lay / But I kinda, sorta, also just can't stop thinking about you," before oppressing glitches close out the song, mirroring one's brain short-circuiting over his object of affection. Skip Intro is born of producer and songwriter Corey Regensburg's three-year hiatus spent battling an anxiety disorder; time off allowed him to craft a record where he "unabashedly confronts himself." The LP is available for pre-order via Bandcamp as a digital download, on vinyl, or a limited edition USB key "in a petri dish surrounded by slime.

Sun June perfectly encapsulate the feelings of helplessness, frightening uncertainty, and the endless, resolute love that exists between a parent and child in their new track, “Terrified”. The release dropped earlier this month and follows up the band’s Younger EP, which featured two B-sides and two demos from their 2018 record Years. The song was the result of the Austin-based outfit participating in the Song Confessional Project, a podcast where people tell personal stories anonymously and then artists are asked to adapt them into an original song. In this specific case, a mother discusses her incredible fear upon learning her child had an accident and she couldn’t get to them right away. Sun June teamed up with Curtis Roush (of The Bright Light Social Hour), who stood at the producing helm, to create this sensitive, poignant ballad. A minimal, soft layer of instrumentation kicks things off and sets the pace as lead singer Laura Colwell’s airy, leveled voice sweeps in. As she sings heartfelt thoughts "I didn’t like that song / Til I heard you sing along to it / Cryin’ cause I can’t hold onto anything," it mimics the yearning to grasp something definite and the notion of certainty. The enchanting melancholy is rivaled only by the persuasive care that exists in this loving dynamic. A sentiment that can be all too familiar and extended to a partner, another family member or a friend. Regardless of the specific individual, Sun June captures that notion of wanting to always be there for the ones you love. “Terrified” is out now.

“Places/Plans” is not a song you would expect from a band named Skullcrusher. The soft and sweet rumination on the fragility of existence and friendship is LA-based songwriter, Helen Ballentine’s debut single. The indie-folk track begins with a narrative of friendly gossip, “You told me your friend’s in love / with a guy she looks up to” before launching into something more introspective as she sings, “Can I make it out there as I am / without my name on a door or a headline band.” Reminiscent of The Weepies, the softly strummed acoustic guitar carries the track through as piano and a looming atmospheric sound perfectly accompanies Ballentine’s vocals that echo through gently. It’s beautiful in its simplicity as it weaves through a message that changes with each turn never relying on repetition, but breaking new ground with each line except the last, “I don’t have any plans for tomorrow.” We couldn't be more excited to premiere this exciting new act's debut! Be on the lookout for Skullcrusher's debut EP—coming out later this winter.

When you have been best friends with someone for the majority of your life, it sometimes feels like you can read their mind—even when it’s different from what they say out loud. This kind of deep connection is the subject of Eliza Shaddad’s “Girls,” a track told in second-person, addressed to her friend during what sounds like a particularly difficult time. As Shaddad reminisces, she paints a sweet portrait of this kind of real friendship: it’s made up of sweet memories like listening to “Tracy Chapman on repeat” in her friend’s “old room,” but also memories of “shit times” and “fistfights.” The airy effect of Shaddad’s instrumentation and echoey vocals play with time so that the link between childhood and the present feels impossibly small. Though on one level the song is fiercely personal, it also provides a useful reminder for all of us. It’s easy to forget, but sincerely shared memories can have a uniquely grounding quality even in the darkest of times. “Girls” is about the importance of taking care of those closest to you when they can’t take care of themselves.