The Sleeping Tree – “Painless”

Painless is a collection of 12 intimate, stripped-back, essentially acoustic songs, whose apparent fragility is used by producer Paolo Baldini (Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti, Africa Unite, Mellow Mood) to give the album its overwhelming force.

Dense yet delicate, Painless embodies what The Sleeping Tree’s unique brand of acoustic folk has become over the last few years. Debuting in 2008, his first album, entitled Leaves and Roots and led by the heart-breaking ballad “Love Is An Eternal Lie”, was released by the German netlabel 12rec.net and quickly received over 25,000 downloads. A number of collaborations with acts like Abitare and Jambassa followed, and as Mellow Mood rose to ever-greater fame, Frausin collaborated with the independent label Megaphone Records, participating in their Xmas Compilation and soon afterwards releasing a split cassette with talented songwriter Jackeyed. In December 2011, The Sleeping Tree released a self-produced EP entitled Stories, a collection of five evocative and haunting pieces of storytelling. The accompanying tour had The Sleeping Tree performing all over the country, often together with international acts like Kaki King, Of Monsters And Men, and Daughter. As Giulio’s voice blossomed, complementing his renowned guitar skills and his use of a tambourine as the only percussion, his concerts became increasingly intimate and personal affairs.

In 2013 The Sleeping Tree went into the studio with Paolo Baldini to record Painless, tracing a musical path from Nick Drake to Iron and Wine or City and Colour, without shedding the inevitable, but never invasive, distant reggae tones. The title of the record is reminiscent of a common thread running through its songs: spirituality and personal reflections fusing with deep sensitivity and remarkable inspiration, without ever indulging in the self-pity or whining often to be found in singer/songwriters’ work. The melancholy in Giulio’s work resembles pondered positivity; never shallow, it transforms everyday life events into a mellow, painless experience.