An emerging talent within the indie-folk scene, Aotearoa artist Solomon Crook recently release another serving from his forthcoming EP.
'Too Strung' is the newest single in Solomon's playbook, another song awash in nostalgic warmth, its golden hues humming through soaring peaks and intimate spaces. "It's a yearning for freedom," Solomon shares, "a call to nature to untangle the knots my mind ties itself in."'Too Strung' is contained within Crook's seven-track EP 'Beneath The Morning Tree' that will drop 3 July. It follows previous singles 'Sunrise' and 'Bread'.
The EP was recorded over a week during the winter of 2023, Solomon joined by producer Neil Macleod and visual director Oscar Keys (Kirin J. Calinan, Broods). The trio hunkered down in Tekapo, a quiet town in the south of New Zealand.
Here they stayed in Oscar's family cabin from the '70s, recording music, capturing moments, lighting fires, sharing meals, going for walks, icy swims and the occasional target practice.
"This project began over four years ago, sparked by a quiet longing – for deeper connection, for more honesty in both myself and my songwriting," shares Solomon.
"It felt like a return to where it all started: just me, my guitar, and the act of writing. Stripping everything back, I found space to sit with the bare bones of a song, to listen closely to what needed to be said.
"What unfolded was a gradual peeling back – layers of vulnerability, truth, and clarity; and within that honesty, I recognised something unmistakable: this was my story, told in the only way I could tell it."
The music video was filmed on a Super 8 during their time in Lake Tekapo, capturing all the vast natural beauty and camaraderie from the sessions. "We arrived in Tekapo without a fixed plan - just a Super 8 camera in hand and a willingness to follow wherever the moment led," Crook adds.
"The bach, tucked away in its quiet charm, held a stash of old winter clothes from the '70s, and we leaned into the nostalgia, making use of what we found.
"The video was never about perfection, it was about presence. About capturing the kind of moments where connection feels effortless. It reflects where we are right now: a time marked by openness, shared energy, and the quiet kind of joy that lives in the in-between."
In the spirit of that mindset, here Solomon shares some of his favourite tunes for the perfect autumn day.
