Forest Child - Echoes of the Forest

​Forest Child

Echoes of the Forest
self-released; 2017

​3.5 out of 5

By Dan Weston

Benny Hagerty (guitar/vocals/drums), Brian Hagerty (keyboard/synth/organ/vocals) and Kyle Guzman (bass) are Forest Child. The young band that released an EP last year is back with a full-length entitled Echoes of the Forest. 

The band has made some progress since their EP by digging into a more signature sound. They aren’t reinventing the wheel here but provide pretty catchy songs over a washy, reverb-laced guitar, drums and bass.

They open with “Changing.” As pointed out in the first Hagerty sounds like a pretty young guy. His singing seems subdued and almost fragile. I’m not saying it’s bad but it’s not in the least way aggressive, The dreamy sound from the guitar reminded me of Mac Demarco but the second song “My World” sounded like it was a Mac Demarco song.

I think the influence was a little too obvious on this song. Oddly enough Demarco seems to be a big influence that shows up in lots of indie musicians music these days.

One of the most original grooves was on “Forever and Never.” The groove is fun, upbeat and easy to appreciate. Good stuff. In addition the vocal melody is one of the catchiest on the album. “Endless Shore” is very atmospheric as the drums lay in the background. It goes down easy and while not particularly challenging it was enjoyable.

As the album progresses the difference in songs feels incremental. There are minor deviations upon first listen but perhaps the most single-worthy song of the album is “Stayin True.” It has an upbeat almost reggae vibe to it. They close out the album strong with “Missing” and “Coming Up.”

Forest Child is still a work in progress but the band is obviously going in the right direction. They also have a considerable amount of time to improve as a band and eventually get a professionally produced album.

​Overall, this is a solid debut album which showcases a good amount of potential.

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