Currently based in Brooklyn, by way of both Hawaii and Los Angeles, CA, singer/songwriter/producer Simone Stevens and her band Bonsai have received quite a bit of attention for the release of “I Fashion You a Dreamer” and “Bonsai Trees,” the first two singles off their forthcoming self-titled debut, slated for a May 27 release. 

And what many of my fellow critics and music journalist have written about Stevens in particular are extremely true. Stevens has a gorgeous voice that seems to effortlessly glide over the music. But just as important, pay attention to Stevens’s phrasing, along with her voice – she manages to evoke a quietly self-assured confidence and a beguiling sensuality. Lyrically, the song manages to make a very interesting allusion that relationships and the people in them are very much like bonsai trees. And in some way it makes sense – after all, the right amount of attention 

Accompanied by Dan Molad, who has worked with Lucius, Elizabeth and the Catapult and Here We Go Magic; Pete Lalish, who has worked with Lucius; Stevens’ long-time friend and collaborator Greg McMullen, who has worked with Trixie Whitey and Meshell Ndegecello and Glen Branca, and Bryan Bisordi, who has works with Great Elk and Nels Cline; the song manages to possess an atmospheric, spectral feel with a subtle country twang that makes the song seem haunted and timeless.