“Family Tree“ by Rado

Rado creates an intricate sonic landscape and layered story with their new rock pop track “Family Tree.” The track opens with a pounding rhythm and whining guitars as the story unfolds. “Family Tree” follows a character created by the band, Jeffrey Purdue, as he works to create AI robots to help him move on from the loss of his wife and create a new family. This fantastical and dystopian story is entertaining and thought-provoking, and a testament to Rado’s creativity. To be able to merge fictional storytelling with relatable emotions about family and building community is an impressive feat.

Though creating an AI robot family after losing someone you love might sound extreme to some of us, it’s a deeply emotional response to trauma, and something many of us might be driven to consider if it were possible. Losing someone you love is probably one of the worst experiences in life, and “Family Tree” displays the desperate lengths someone might go to to try and recover from that tragedy. Intense instrumentation and catchy, repetitive vocals show this desperation building in Purdue as he searches for solace from his pain. 

Lines like “will they talk like me” and “building them up, up, up” allude to Purdue actually creating this robot family, but the song is still very relatable to anyone working to build human community and relationships- especially after a recent loss. Grief can make a person feel lonely and alienated, and trying to re-engage with a community can feel intimidating. With “Family Tree,” Rado explores the complex vulnerability of someone in extreme pain.

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