Despite living in Brooklyn, the most populated of the five boroughs, folk-rock five-piece Wild Leaves conjure images of tranquil nature and good old-fashioned romancing, much like Fleet Foxes or Strands of Oak. “I’ve been looking for you for a long time, for a long while, wait ’til the storm passes through or the river runs dry,” opens Adam Lytle’s sincere, Cat Stevens-like voice on the illustrious “Wind & Rain”. A perky bass line abruptly signals the entry of percussion and Genevieve Rainsberger’s sweeping vocal harmonies, which flow through the track like a fresh breeze on a humid day. The band seems fond of comparisons to nature and the outdoors, and in this instance it’s hard for me not to be as well. “Don’t look back I need you in the morning, with the wind and the rain,” they both sing during the chorus, Lytle taking the lead and Rainsberger maintaining a solid melodic backbone. Comparing someone’s comfort and closeness to a familiarity like the wind and rain is a joyous complement, as long as it’s reciprocated. This brisk folk-pop effort seems to suggest it has… a match made in heaven, much like Wild Leaves’ stirring folk sound and compelling vocalists.
