_{[The boys from Champion Trees at Evol. PHOTO: Murray Williamson]}

Champion Trees‘ debut album, Now 3000, is a diary of personal trials written with the frank honesty of an old friend. The 12 tracks are fleshed out with candid detail and explicitly local contexts, totalling a full-length 42 minutes. That’s an ambitious debut for an up-and-coming band, and something that’s rare in the single-focused streaming era. Released on 1 July, Now 3000 recounts adventures in self-doubt, restless romance, and losing days in the Cape Town suburbs.