A Day in the Life of a Tree • Alexis Taylor, NATURE feat. Rachel Kitchlew & Alice Boyd

2024 | Field Recordist

A reimagining of the Beach Boys’ environmental song, bringing the sounds of a living pond into the recording.

Alice Boyd collaborated with Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor on his version of ‘A Day in the Life of a Tree’, released as part of the global Sounds Right initiative, which recognises NATURE as an artist and directs a share of music royalties towards conservation.

Originally written by Brian Wilson and Jack Rieley for the Beach Boys’ 1971 album Surf’s Up, the song is told from the perspective of a tree struggling to survive in a polluted environment. For Taylor’s reimagining, recordings from the natural world become part of the music itself.

Alice contributed an underwater recording made with a hydrophone at Broadwater Warren Nature Reserve in Kent. Captured beneath the surface of a pond, the recording reveals the calls of toads alongside the quieter sounds of the surrounding aquatic life, bringing the habitat directly into the track.

The recording sits alongside performances by Alexis Taylor and harpist Rachel Kitchlew, with NATURE credited as an artist in its own right.

A Day in the Life of a Tree (feat. NATURE) was released in October 2024 through EarthPercent as part of Sounds Right.

Available on streaming platforms