Interviews About Albums: The Low Blow - Forest For The Trees (2025)

In this new interview, we sat down with the American band, The Low Blow, to ask questions about their album "Forest For The Trees". 

1. What can you say about this new EP/CD?

This LP is an amalgamation of all our individual influences distilled into its purest form. The product of years of work in writing, producing, recording, mixing, etc. has given us the truest version of our band that we’ve been able to achieve to date. It’s a complete piece of work that uses the backdrop of ghost stories in Appalachia as a way to explore themes of grief, dysphoria, identity, and belonging in a time where these themes are more pertinent than ever.

2. What is the meaning of the EP/CD name?

“Forest For the Trees” pulls on the colloquial phrase but also serves as a visual reinforcement for the previously mentioned backdrop of the record. It’s a stark reminder of tried and true wisdom, but also, for us, a reminder of our surroundings.

3. Which one is the composer of the CD/EP?

We, as a band, always make an effort to compose together. Patsy Long is the primary songwriter and lyricist and will bring in tons and tons of ideas while the rest of us (Connor Stith, Taylor Wood, and Josh Selby) come together to tackle the songs in an expansive, transformative way. Something I think we really nailed on this record is DEFINITELY taking all of our disparate influences and making the songs concise, unique pieces of work that we all really and truly love.

4. If you had to pick one song, which one would you pick?

That’s equal parts a fun as well as difficult question, considering it’s very likely that we would all pick different songs, but one that I’d say we agree on being particularly special is the album opener, “The Moments You Felt You Belonged.” We’ve always loved dramatic openers to our releases, but this one features vocals from everyone, huge shifts in energy, and it feels like the best we’ve ever achieved that feeling of really pulling back the curtain on a concept.

5. Is there a special message in this EP/CD? If there is what it is?

I think it can’t be stated enough how much this record is influenced by the current world climate.

We’ve never been shy about where we stand as individuals as well as a united front in a band; the messages of identity and belonging absolutely relate to a defiance in the face of a hostile world toward those who simply wish to exist as their truest selves.

6. Are there some lyrics that you'd love to share?

I’d really love to bring further attention to the lyric we all sing together on the opening track, as I feel it almost serves as a thesis statement for the overall sentiment of the record:

“All that you are is a memory

And then one day

You’re gone

Pictures and songs

Of the moments

you felt you

Belonged.”

7. Which inspirations have been important for this album? Like musically or friends, family, someone you'd love to thank especially?

We’re all a product of the community around us at the end of the day. Whether that be friends, family, loved ones in the present, loved ones from the past, or people no longer with us, the connections we’ve all made over the years really can’t be overstated, as I think we all carry a great deal of inspiration individually as to how our lives have led us to this moment. Musically, it’s definitely a bit easier as everyone definitely wears their influences on their sleeves. Josh is Nate Mendel incarnate on bass and the resident forever-emo, Taylor is a huge Death Cab head channeling Clarity-era Jimmy Eat World on drums, Connor is primarily a metal and hardcore kid adding chugs and leads through a 5150 rig, and Patsy takes her background in BlueGrass and combines it with an adoration and love of emo acts like The Hotelier to really set the scene across this whole record.

8. Something to add?

We’re super proud of every bit of music on this record. We put our absolute all into it, and we did every ounce of it in-house: from Patsy’s mixing, our combined efforts in writing and recording, and finally, our collaborations with close friends in the creation of unique visuals to pull together the overall vision of the record. We only hope that we can continue to share this record with more and more people as we take on any opportunity going into the next year. If you’re in Nashville, come see us at The End on November 15!

The Low Blow