Echopark - Trees

The music of London-based Italian musician Antonio Elia Forte, who records as Echopark, is rooted in a nomadic lifestyle that has taken in the idyllic paradise of his hometown of Lecce, gigs throughout Italy and Europe and the rather less glamorous surroundings of a rented room in Whitechapel where he recorded his debut album ‘Trees’.

Forte took on the name Echopark after his home town, which is described on his record label’s page as the ‘California Of Italy’. Those paradise vibes have in part translated to a record that is full of joyous melodic flares and blissful naivety. While the songs here are bright and ebullient, Forte’s distinctly primitive recording techniques ensconced in his cramped London room provide an abstract filter through which these songs are given beguiling twists.

Forte states in his bio that he is actively seeking imperfection; his is a purity of sound that cannot be tainted by things going wrong. Songs like ‘Cranes’ are possessed with a rudimentary damaged beauty while ‘Mountains’ is abrasive and dissonant without losing any of its innocence.

Of course, the search for imperfection can prove problematic as a few songs suffer for the foggy sound, which obscures a palpable gift for melody. The best moments here cannot be clouded by noise and the hum of primitive equipment, though. The lovely acoustic lilt of ‘Frankly’ is simple and enchanting. It’s a perfect example of Echopark’s sonic bursts of colour.

Perhaps the closest comparison to Echopark is the earliest recordings of Passion Pit, another group built on the expressive mind of a singular wonderer. Album highlight ‘Teleportation’ is evidence of Forte’s wide-eyed wonder in its purest form. A gorgeous piece of Animal Collective-like oddity built on a rickety beat, gauche synths and wonderfully layered harmonies; a real joy, much like most of this captivating debut recording.