"London-based trio The Greeners lit up early editions of Upstream when I first launched Trust The Doc TV in the early lockdown period of 2020 and they have been lighting up my radio show from time to time ever since. Now the London-based multi-instrumental trio of Sonya, Gus and James have a new album entitled Happiness is letting go.
It kicks off with the shuffling rhythm and octave-apart (then harmonised) vocals of I want to. The soft strings are exquisite, contrasted by the busy brushed drums. Contrast is very much the name of the game with this album. The title track, with more octave-apart vocals, has a spy-movie aura with the single-notes guitar twang and two-chord basis for the verses while the chorus is a spine-tingling surprise when it arrives. Breath, Bones is a capella and earthy while the excellently titled Dismember Me is a reminder of their penchant for disarming story-telling. As the album continues so the different aspects of their sound and style play out, adorned with impressive harmonies and a high standard of musicianship.
Are you with me has an epic feel, moving through changing moods and tempi, building in intensity while the final track Don’t leave me behind is a swinging light-textured Folk-Pop track with reverberant ukulele and more trademark harmonies. Midway through, we get horns joining the fray and adding to the jaunty poppiness and subtle soul undercurrent. Mixing its upbeat feel with an aura of melancholy, it is a strong and satisfying way to round off an imaginative, cleverly crafted and entertaining album." - Neil March, Trust the Doc Ed. 73
"Until they made contact, I’d not previously heard of the London based Alt-Folk trio (and sometimes more) The Greeners, but this unforgettable single is sure to change that for many. From the very opening of their new single ‘Old Street’, it’s clear that they are far from typical. From the deep resonance of Gus Seymour’s cello, the listener is cut adrift and then lifted by the exceptional vocals of Sonya Cullingford as they revisit home... Forget their influences; this trio is refreshingly original in every sense of the word." - Alex Gallacher, Folk Radio UK (read the full review here).
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"Around this time of night I like to listen to some rootsy drumming, authentic double bass, Tom Waits guitar lines and two people having an almost indecent amount of fun together. Meet The Greeners." - Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6 Music
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For ‘Take Me Home’: “On this track, which is underpinned by a captivating bass line, The Greeners’ lyrical sentiments speak to a familiar contemporary, carefree international political climate where those at the helm, experience attests, can do as they please. The invocation of the picturesque tax haven of the Cayman Islands says it all in this regard with a rugged, comedic tone which would be difficult for any other wordsmith to surpass: “Stole my money ran away to the Cayman Islands, no I’ll never find them corporate kings, got political asylum.” A joke with a jag, I would wager. The music boasts a feel-good fanfare bolstered by the group of musicians under The Greeners umbrella. The outworkings between trumpet and sax bring this delightful excursion to its finale where listeners are reassured, by the refrain, that “the future’s on its way.” - Peter Donnelly, Fresh Faves Batch 447
“London-based trio The Greeners are a truly intriguing band. Utilising a mouth-watering range of acoustic instruments and mixing up a bunch of stylistic influences, their roots are in Folk, Bluegrass and Pop though, if Crowd is any indication, we can definitely throw Jazz into the melting pot too. Their Twitter page calls their music Alt Folk and Folk Radio recently described them as ‘refreshingly original on (sic) every sense of the word’. I must whole-heartedly concur. The song starts with unison pizzicato strings accompanying a swinging Peggy Lee-ish bluesy female vocal. The lyrics depict a disturbing story of being at a rally, shouted down and forced to flee before buying a gun and putting paid to her pursuers; a tale that is told ‘every day in The Sun’! One of self-isolation of a different kind! The history behind this episode sounds fascinating if macabre! As the track develops, solo sax saunters in and out of the song’s centre and there is a lovely lazy feel to the whole thing. It is one of the many aspects I love about Fresh on the Net that not only do we get tracks as individual as this but that our discerning readers vote for them too.” – Neil March, Fresh on the Net/ Trust the Doc
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