Boston Hardcore Punk Band Tree Returns With New Music

Old school Boston heads rejoice: the legendary Boston hardcore punk band Tree has released their first new music in 25 years.

Tree formed outside of Boston in Westwood in 1988. Their debut album, A Lot To Fear, was released by local independent label Cherrydisc in 1994. They quickly followed that up with two more releases on Cherrydisc: 1994's Plant a Tree Or Die and 1996's Downsizing the American Dream. These three albums became '90s Boston rock staples and the band became big on the local scene; for a time, they were annual performers atMassCann's Boston Freedom Rally.

If you're a rocker of a certain age, you likely remember one or two of those electric performances at the Freedom Rally on Boston Common. Or maybe you caught Tree at the Middle East or another local venue back in the day. They were a band that always wore their heart--and their politics--on their collective sleeve. And that's certainly still the case today.

"Cheats at Golf" is the first single from Tree's forthcoming 2024 release Through the Darkness. Frontman Dave Tree shared the following in the song's press release: ""Cheats at Golf" combines hardcore punk, politics, journalism, and sportsmanship into one song. Golf is a gentleman's sport played with your friends. So if you are willing to cheat at golf on your friends, what else are you willing to cheat on?"

The song was recorded at the storied Galaxy Park Studios in Watertown by Richard Marr and mastered by Dan Randall at Mammoth Sound Mastering in Portland, ME, so it's a local affair through and through. Check out the video below and follow the band on Facebook for info on the forthcoming release. New music from Tree? It feels like it's 1994 all over again instead of 2024. And I'm OK with that.

Recently, I asked you about your favorite debut albums from Boston bands. You spoke, so now we put it all to a vote.

This is the 12-Inch Poll, my weekly exercise where we argue about things like what's the best summer vacation spot in New England, or what's the best summer music festival. I keep my Polls up indefinitely, so feel free to tap away at those links and cast your votes whenever you feel the urge. It's more fun and productive than doomscrolling because you'll actually be thinking and remembering. Fun!

This week's Poll grew out of a little something I put together last week. It was an anniversary look-back at The Cars self-titled debut album. In the piece, I came to the realization that it might just be the second-best debut album ever released by a Boston band (next to Boston's debut album, of course). I then used that realization as a jumping-off point for a conversation with you.

Over on the ROCK 92.9 Facebook page, I asked: "What's the greatest debut album by a Boston band?" And a fair number of you weighed in. Enough at least to put together a decent field of beloved Boston rock releases from over the years. You can scroll through the full list here (once you've liked the page, of course). And feel free to add yours pick if you don't see it in the comments.

In the meantime, let's take a look at the albums that made the cut. I wanted a good cross-section not only of Boston rock eras but of styles, so you'll find a bit of everything here, from classic rock to hardcore to new wave to alternative rock. Scroll through, vote for your favorite, then pass it along to your Boston rock friends so they can do the same.