Wall of Sound PR

London-based alt/folk newcomers a forest are pleased to reveal a very special piano redux version of their debut single ‘Something I Need’, set for release on 26th June 2026 via Wipe Out Music.

Commenting on the release, front man Matt Hughes says: “To be honest, I think this is the way I always hear ‘Something I Need’. It was originally written as a folk song, in my bedroom during COVID, about having trouble dealing with horrible news and how relationships are both formed and broken through that experience. Because of that feeling, those first thoughts about the song, and the way I had first written and constructed it, this redux was always going to happen.”

“Working with producer Mark Roberts again, he really helped re-shape the whole vibe of the track and refocus the vision. Emphasise the vocals, take all the ‘rock’ out of it, and try and find that folk song nucleus. We were going to throw in some strings and saxophone as well, but I think the whole point of the piano redux was to minimise the song; reduce it to its smallest essence, very much influenced by the likes of Elliot Smith, James Taylor and Bright Eyes.”

“The idea came about during the EP sessions, finishing up a track called ‘ghost story’ where we had just sonically thrown the kitchen sink at a final section. It’s wonderful, but I just couldn’t hear the heartbeat of the track, and the piano of Bjarni Biering is just so utterly stunning, it made me think about ‘something I need’ and the fact it needed its moment to shine (again).”

Featuring the talents of Icelandic composer and a forest collaborator Bjarni Biering, the new version brings another layer of emotional nuance to the track’s already weighty resonance.

Commenting on working together, Biering says: “I got to know Matt fairly recently through Arcane Roots, so working on the a forest material felt like a natural extension of that. It’s still early days, but there’s already an easy understanding of where the music wants to go. I’ve ended up contributing across a few of the tracks, and each one has had that same quality: a real openness, space to move into without crowding anything, which shaped how I approached my parts. ‘Something I Need’ is a good example of that. The song already had its centre of gravity, so my job was just to sit underneath it and let it sit a little warmer.”

“The song was played on a felted upright, which has this softened, intimate quality I felt the song was asking for. Overall my goal is subtraction, not addition. A felt-muted upright, a handful of textures, all in service of the music. Warmth without weight, highlighting what’s there rather than crowding it.”

The track is the first to be taken from their forthcoming debut EP set for release in 2027, with further details over new music to be announced over the coming months. Released earlier this year, ‘Something I Need’ picked up radio support from Daniel P Carter on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show and John Kennedy at Radio X, plus alternative tastemakers Kerrang! Magazine, Noizze, Ourzone TV, Buttonpusher DIY, Already Heard and more.

“In terms of the EP, everything is written and pretty much done,” says Hughes of his future plans. “I’ll finally be looking at finishing it completely by the summer, with the help of some more talented friends and pals, and again working with some Artbox artists for the single artwork.”

Already booked to appear at 2000trees Festival this summer, a forest will be announcing further live dates in the near future.

Live Dates:

8-11 July – 2000trees Festival