The darkly ambient debut by NYC-based experimental solo artist project, Marcyline, is informed by constant sleep deprivation, paranoia, nightmares, childhood fears, dead of night noises from the forest, art films, and vibey television shows.

Recorded in the middle of the woods in Upstate New York during the first wave of lockdown, ’Treegiver’ is emblematic of the isolation and terror of the times. The transporting 9-song album is the vision of singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Chris Paraggio, and it was co-produced by close friend Drew Stier.

“I love the concept of ”worldbuilding” that I have always grown up seeing in my favorite TV shows, books, and movies; for me, architecting immersive worlds and environments and expressing myself through this process is what I love about making things. It feels most natural to sit in moods of discomfort, strangeness, and creepiness,” he says.

The hauntological album is influenced by the work of evocative sonic auteur The Caretaker and genre-defying adventurers The Microphones. Marcyline songs are moody, earthy, and explore the outer realms of freak folk, noise, and scuzzy indie rock. Chris’s lyrics are non-linear and not narrative based, instead he paints visual pictures with vivid and sometimes abstract descriptive writing. Live, these songs are brought to full vibrancy by Chris on guitar and vocals; John Baggetta on guitar and backup vocals; Drew Schlingman on bass and backup vocals; Stephen Papa on keyboards and noise; and Trevor Jones on drums.

‘Treegiver’ nestles the listener into creepy, wintery, and nocturnal folklore inspired by the woodlands of upstate New York. Intrinsic to its genesis and its aesthetic is an off-the-grid existence. To that end, Chris wrote the lyrics on a typewriter, opting to create in a pure way disconnected from the cluttered conveniences of cellphones and computers.

“Worldbuilding, architecting immersive spaces and environments”

It seems to me that you spent a lot of time working on your new record, ‘Treegiver’. Tell us how you approached it and what’s the typical process for you when it comes to songwriting?

We definitely spent a significant chunk of the time with ‘Treegiver’ tweaking very small details through every stage of the process. Drew Stier, who produced it, and Griffin Ashburn, who mixed it, were very patient with me. We just approached it with a sense of rigorousness and thoroughness, something I’d like to bring even more into the next project.

In terms of songwriting specifically, I am super interested in expressing myself through worldbuilding, architecting immersive spaces and environments. As such, I like using a lot of lyrical imagery and being really particular with arranging and sonic texturing.

Was there a certain idea or concept you wanted to focus on? The album sounds very atmospheric.

Thank you for saying, that was totally my intention with the project as a whole. In terms of worldbuilding, I had a really clear image of what these spaces looked like, and how I would feel emotionally in them, and what interesting things could exist and be done within them. I just wanted to immerse the listener in this strange, ghostly, woodland environment as much as possible.

<a href="https://marcyline.bandcamp.com/album/treegiver-2">Treegiver by Marcyline</a>

How did the band get together originally?

I’ve been playing music for years under different projects, and most of us performed live together in high school. When Treegiver was finished, most of them had also moved to New York City for various reasons, and I just asked them to get back together to perform this album. I’m really happy with how much we’ve been able to participate in the New York DIY live scene since.

Our live band members consist of myself, Drew Schlingman, Trevor Jones, Stephen Papa, and John Baggetta.

Tell us where the album was recorded? What kind of gear do you use?

The whole thing was recorded in a basement in the woods of upstate NY. We really just used whatever instruments and gear we had around, and pointed a Neumann TLM 103 at almost everything. A Casio SK-1 belonging to my good friend and collaborator Sam Darwish also makes a lot of appearances throughout the record.

“I think that each song seeks to place you in a different part of the album’s environment”

Would you share your insight on the albums’ tracks?

I think that each song seeks to place you in a different part of the album’s environment. I wanted the songs to allow enough room for the listener to draw their own connections and conclusions about the record as a whole while still immersing them in the moment, so I hope I was successful in that.

Are any of you involved in any other bands or do you have any active side-projects going on at this point?

I’m really reaching for some new cool film scoring opportunities for the near future. I really have a passion for scoring any cool artsy visual stuff, and am always looking to participate in more of these collaborative efforts!

What are the band’s future plans?

Right now, we’re super focused on getting around the country and playing live. I’ve also been writing and demoing, and I can tell the next recorded material is going to take a more solid shape fairly soon. For now, though, I think that our most immediate step is expanding our live performing further outside of New York.

Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?

In terms of something new, I’ve recently found a band called Mandy, Indiana, who are currently on Fire Talk Records. I’m already a huge fan and I’m extremely excited for their upcoming album.

I would also like to say that, like many others, I was very saddened by the recent passing of Ryuichi Sakamoto. Yellow Magic Orchestra has been incredible to have in my regular (near-constant) listening once again, particularly their album ‘Yellow Magic Orchestra USA’. I’m very thankful to Ryuichi Sakamoto for what he has given to the world and to myself.

Thank you. Last word is yours.

Thank you so much for having me! You can find ‘Treegiver’ anywhere you listen to music, and you can follow me at @mrcylne on Instagram to keep up with what we’re up to if you wish. Thank you again!

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photo: John Baggetta

Marcyline Official Website / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp