LISTEN: Jared Gentile & Trees Invigorate Modern Country With Soulfulness On “Safe Travels”

Trees comprise Jared Gentile, Maddie Henke, James Werner, and Spencer Lemann. Jared formed the band after releasing their debut album, Green, a nature-inspired song cycle. The group has since developed into a recording project and a live outfit, showcasing disparate influences ranging from folk, rock, jazz, soul, funk, and psychedelia. The band is defined by its members’ friendship and the balance between playfulness and soulfulness in its music.

Country music has become a touch oversaturated over the past few years. With the genre’s explosion into the charts being led by watered-down pop takes on old tropes, coming across a new artist with a fresh point of view is rare and should be celebrated. In walks Jared Gentile and Trees. The young band kicked off 2025 with the release of “Safee Travels,” a soulful take that adds touches of jazz and much innovation. The tune takes the form of a folksy, simplistic ballad, but the weight of their words is as complex as an advanced math problem to a toddler. By employing vague poetry and delivering it with a nostalgic swing, the band can capture longing, heartbreak, and optimism in only a few words. These words cascade around twangy guitars and smooth drum patterns, creating a lush, comforting landscape. “Safe Travels” is a stunning piece of modern country that snakes around the burgeoning scene to land in a space Gentile and the band can call their own.

“‘Safe Travels’ is a song about being there for yourself on your journey and putting yourself first. It’s a lighthouse song to listen to in dark times and rediscover the faith you have in yourself and in your path,” explains the band. “At the same time, the chorus tips its cap to fellow travelers passing by, wishing them well on their journeys. I think in recording it with the band really benefitted from that communal feeling of ‘I’m trying to figure this out, and I am on my own, and only I have the answers for myself, but all my friends are in the same boat.’”