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Mar 15, 2022 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Nicole Rico

This summer, LA-based duo Haunted Summer are returning with their third LP, Whole, out June 21st via Rain Phoenix’s LaunchLeft Label. For their third full-length release, husband and wife duo Bridgette Eliza Moody and John Seasons paired with producer Be Hussy. Together, the band has cultivated an entrancing record that knits together the warm melodic haze of psych pop, spacious organic instrumentation, and stirring melancholic undertones.

The band have already introduced the record with a ethereal cover of Daniel Johnston’s “You Put My Love Out The Door,” and today they’re back with another new single, “The Tree,” premiering early with Under the Radar.

“The Tree” encapsulates the spectral beauty, aching lyricism, and soulful melodies that run throughout Whole. Plaintive guitar chords set the foundation as Bridgette’s haunting vocal performance traces the outline of a love that was once strong and is now struggling. Whether it is read as a tragic romance or a tribute to love’s perseverance, the song sweeps you into its heart-rending drama. Together, the stark lyricism, lush production, and wistful harmonies offer an irresistible invitation into Haunted Summer’s lovelorn folk dream.

The band explains of the track, “‘The Tree’ is essentially a story about a couple that used a tree to represent/mark their love on and remember. It’s looking back at something that was strong and now perhaps rocky. Even though the lyrics themselves seem to be coming from the opposite angle, it just reminds us how important it is to have someone to love, and someone to love you through all of the tough times. None of us are lovable all day, every day, but when you truly see and hear someone, even their foibles can become endearing, like when someone just feels like home. And when you know you’ve been unlovable…really, I guess it’s a bit of a martyr’s anthem. Even if it doesn’t endure a lifetime, every deep human connection should be gently immortalized in some way.

Director and editor Jack Gibson says of the track’s accompanying video, “Old growth rooted in distant memories. Actor Jack Leahy travels through the Texas plains toward a magical land. The artist falls into a deep slumber and into a subconscious dream. Floating amongst the trees he finds Haunted Summer, free of all pain, releasing their ethereal existence into the layers of the earth bringing the journey to an end only to begin again.”

Check out the song and video below. You can also pre-save the single here and pre-order the album here. Whole is due out June 21st via LaunchLeft.