“Seed of a Seed” rises up out of the earth to question man’s relationship with nature itself. In her sophomore album, singer-songwriter Haley Heynderickx invites the world into her own complex journey with understanding our earth once dominated by nature, but now constrained by the greediness of mankind. The release of the 10 track album comes six years after the debut of Heynderickx’s first album, “I Need to Start a Garden.” In that six year gap, Heynderickx’s garden germinated into new ideas and questions and philosophies and melodies that led to the Nov. 1 release of “Seed of a Seed.” Each song on the album presents distinct but harmonious sounds, reminiscent of a breeze that winds through a forest and pushes along the rhythm of a gentle stream. Henderickx’s artistic blend of folk and country sounds creates a beauty that is at once grounded by its instruments and transcendent by her voice. 

Songs like “Gemini” and “Seed of a Seed” take a dig at the frivolity and greed of the consumerist culture we are living in. The title track especially encourages listeners to look for a new perspective on life, one that is appreciative of not only the things we already have but the people with us on our journeys as well.

“Mouth of a Flower” subtly expresses humanity’s helpless greed with many metaphors throughout. The lyrics “The mussel underwater/ The algae in bloom/ And what more could he offer?/ And what more to do?” referencing how the blooming algae takes up all the nutrients and oxygen from the mussel underwater. If the algae does this out of necessity, is it still greed? But the track also features human selfishness more directly by refraining, “Oh we take, and we take, and we take.”

Humanity’s growth toward consumerism and greed is paralleled by a move away from nature. Into cities and onto cell phones, Heynderickx asks her listeners in “Foxglove” if they really know what they want, “Tell me, truly, what is your dream?/ Tell me, truly, is it the city life?”  She then tells how her daydreams are dying off slowly, like how the song’s namesake is entirely poisonous to humans and animals. 

The standout track of the album is “Redwood (Anxious God).” Heynderickx’s voice flows like a river over smooth rocks; is at once the storyteller and the story. The piece is a beautiful ode to the lost ways humans used to connect with nature intimately, with lyrics like “That man and bird used to sing/ Well now the only man here’s cell phone ring, ring, rings.” “That humankind is getting lost/ Not even little bugs wanna talk to us, us, us” is also a eulogy to that very connection.

Seed of a Seed is a gorgeous work of art. It is both charming to the ear and thoughtfully provocative. Listen to the album, then go find a tree to speak to. Now is the time to become connected with nature. Like Hendrickx sings: “For the soil is returning/ My mind begins burning to know/ What’s beyond today?”