Last updated on June 30, 2014
The members of hunters. absorbed the sounds and feels of folk, alt-country, and female-fronted singer/songwriter, then mixed them together to come up with Treeline. Their methods worked well: the San Francisco-based outfit is comfortable and assured here. Opener “The Her Is Me” includes mandolin, congas, violin, and Rosa Del Duca’s passionate alto vocals; it sounds like all the instruments belong right where they are. They follow up with the strings-heavy “Get It Right,” then move to the straight-up-western slide guitar sound of “The Grifter” (totally country name there, too).
The ability to mix these genres confidently shows that hunters. has avoided the sophomore slump after 2012’s white lies, which is always good. Their performances are tight, the arrangements are savvy, and the recording is well-done, keeping all the parts in equal measure. The title track that closes out the record might be the most memorable turn, as the outfit slows things down and lets Del Duca really sing over a sparse (well, sparse for hunters.) arrangement. Fans of alt-country should check out Treeline, as the interesting arrangements and strong vocals will be a treat.