The Third Eye

Some new psychedelic country and folk goodness is coming our way from Winter McQuinn’s new solo album Move To The Trees, which is set for release on April 5th via Echodelick Records and Third Eye Stimuli Records. McQuinn is perhaps best known as the frontman of Sunfruits and as the drummer for Jade Imagine, but his solo work explores the weird folksy terrain of artists like Nick Drake, Syd Barrett, Kevin Ayers, and modern Seventies soft-rock purveyors like Michael Rault and Drugdealer.

McQuinn’s 2021 debut solo album, A Rabble of Bees, marked the beginning of his solo explorations, showcasing his songwriting talents and DIY inventiveness. The sophomore record, Move To The Trees, was recorded in April 2022 over one weekend in Anglesea, Victoria, with Jesse Williams as engineer and producer. The new music showcases a more sonically sophisticated side to McQuinn’s solo music.

Move To The Trees features talented musicians Jack Kinder and Lewis Mosley from fellow Third Eye Stimuli family, Hot Apple Band, and Elena Jones from Sunfruits, and Jaspar Robinson. We’re told the album is a series of anthems for the future, settled in psych-folk and Seventies soft-rock energy.

McQuinn takes influence from the new wave of Seventies folk and rock-influenced artists from the U.S. Left Coast, such as Sylvie, Cut Worms, John Andrews, Anna St Louis, The Lemon Twigs, and more. The album cover art was hand-painted by folk/baroque pop artist Leah Senior and portrays our Australian hero, McQuinn, in different settings around Anglesea and the studio.

The album consists of nine short, groovy acid folk rock tracks, starting with the sun-kissed “Daffodil.” Let the sunshine in and bob your head to the chooglin’ in this song, an excellent way to kick things off. “I Will Be The Same” was the first single off the record, another short track with the vintage Seventies vibe down pat. “Red Wool” rocks on with some touches of Grateful Dead in the instrumentation, followed by the fun, breezy ride of “Sitting In The Trees.”

“In This Life” has a beat that reminded me of Creedence Clearwater Revival, with McQuinn’s smooth voice guiding us on a serene cosmic folk rock journey. “Time Passes” shows Nick Drake’s influence on the guitar playing, and even the track title reminded me something of Nick Drake. Compared to other songs on the record, “Time Passes” is more mellow and dreamy. “I Wanna Live” cranks up the volume and tempo again, another Seventies soft-rocker to eat up.

“Hills” may be the grooviest track, with a funky bass line and an almost jam-band feel combined with the Seventies sleaze and folk rock. “Honey” quietly ends the record with a gentle acoustic ballad. The track is bittersweet, but I still think that if sunshine had a sound, it would sound like “Honey.”

Winter McQuinn’s Move To The Trees is a fun record that fans of Seventies soft rock should enjoy, as well as fans of the many cosmic country artists making great music today. McQuinn’s record is the type of folk rock I can get behind, which is sometimes groovy as hell but also provides more gentle tracks for chilling and reflection. The record will drop on April 5th, just in time for spring, so get your pre-orders in now. Enjoy!

Pre-order Move To The Trees by Winter McQuinn on Bandcamp here.

Support Winter McQuinn by finding him on Bandcamp or Instagram.

Support Echodelick Records by finding them on Bandcamp, their official website, or Instagram.

Support Third Eye Stimuli Records by finding them on Bandcamp, their official website, or social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube).

Consider supporting The Third Eye on Patreon here.

Sign up for email updates from The Third Eye below: