After opening for Sabrina Carpenter’s UK + Europe leg of the emails i can’t send Tour in June 2023, and going on her own small headlining tour earlier this summer, Annika Bennett has started releasing new music again. Her latest emotional ballad, “A Tree Falls”, is the first single off her upcoming album. The song has long been awaiting its actual release as Bennett has been performing it for about a year.
Produced by John Mayer, “A Tree Falls” mirrors elements found in Mayer’s own songwriting and has elegant lyrics that tell a deeply personal story. Bennett is heavily influenced by Mayer and credits him in an Instagram caption for inspiring her to become a songwriter. Bennett’s excitement about working with Mayer is palpable in her Instagram post for the song.
Playing off the philosophical thought experiment of “if a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound”, Bennett reflects on her feelings and what they all mean even if they end up staying inside her head.
“I wrote this song on a solo trip to the desert where I thought about my existence and my songs and feelings, and how it should all matter, no matter who’s there to witness” Bennett writes in the Instagram caption announcing the release of her song.
Her lyrics reflect this concept and validate the feeling of existing no matter what happens or what goes unsaid. There’s so much more to life than having to share everything with the internet. Internal dialogues hold just as much weight as external ones.
“There’s places in the ocean where nobody’s ever been// Species in the jungle hiding from a scientist// If they die undiscovered, it don’t mean they don’t exist”.
This is a concept that has taken up much space in my own brain, and is the perfect song for my current state. It’s a great reminder that I don’t have to be the most influential person to make an impact and be remembered because I still existed at the end of the day. Bennett brings up a topic that is so human, yet no one talks about it. It’s an existential crisis wrapped up in a beautifully raw song.
“A Tree Falls”, though not an upbeat or incredibly catchy song, leaves the listener thinking about what’s important to them and how who they are matters regardless of what they make of their life. This introspective song deserves its place in the spotlight.
While there’s no official release date for her upcoming album, there’s no doubt in my mind Bennett will continue to share her inner thoughts and landscape with the world. This song sets the tone for what’s to come and how much more there is to look forward to with her music.
