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Neo-folk artists, such as Iron and Wine and Kings of Convenience, have been thriving in the United States and Europe for some time. It was only a matter of time before folk was revived in Indonesia, as well.

With finger-picked guitar riffs and hushed vocal harmonies, local trio The Trees and The Wild evoke a sense of intimacy that is similar to the neo-folk found in the United States, their best songs echoing US folk artist Elliot Smith’s music. Their harmonies and guitar interplay weave in and out naturally under calm and simple melodies.

The trio began when junior high-school friends Iga Massardi and Andra Kurniawan began playing together in a local blues band called Enterprising John. Before long, the duo was writing originals, most of which strayed away from the blues and took an a folk feel. By the time they reached senior high, they asked their friend Remedy Waloni to join, completing the trio.

By 2006, the three had named themselves The Trees and The Wild after a song from US group Matt Pond PA, one of their earliest influences. Iga explains that the name was also chosen because it expressed a sentiment of living a free and real life.

Before long, the trio began recording the song “Honeymoon on Ice,” with a plan to release it as a radio single. Their first demo included the single, along with tracks “Berlin” and “Malino,” and firmly established the band’s sound.

Iga explains that “Malino” tells the story of the mountains of Sulawesi, the 11th largest island in the world. Malino is the name of a holiday resort in Sulawesi, located on the slopes of Bawakaraeng mountain.

But it was “Honeymoon on Ice” that ended up being the hit that teen-oriented radio stations such as Trax FM and Prambors picked up as a single. The song, which was inspired by the Michel Gondry film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” spent a few weeks on both radio stations’ independent charts.

To enhance their live performances, the group employed a string section to back their songs.

“We did it to improve our live gigs musically and visually,” Iga says.

Their minimalist and radio-friendly songs brought them attention from the mainstream and record labels began to take notice.

Lil’ Fish Records, a burgeoning independent label owned by electronic musician Agus Sasongko, approached them about releasing their debut album with him. According to Iga, Agus first heard the band’s tracks on its MySpace site. The band eventually signed with Lil’ Fish and started recording 10 songs for the album “Rasuk” (“Permeate”).

The album was launched on May 20 in the Goethe Institute in Central Jakarta, which sold out within days. The opening acts were soulful singer Tika and guitar duo Sketsa, who made way for The Trees and The Wild, who played for more than an hour.

Playing a whole show of laid-back acoustic songs, the trio could have put on a very monotonous show. Instead, they gave the performance another dimension by including a string quartet, percussion, samples and accompanying visuals to complement the music.

The arrangement for the live version of “Our Roots,” one of the stand-out tracks on “Rasuk,” the female vocalist’s chanting was highlighted and extended, transforming the song into a long and deep meditation.

Having released a successful album and being offered plenty of shows, it seems these musicians are just cruising along, allowing it all to come to them.

“Our only goal is for people to come out to the gigs and hang out with us so that we can talk about music,” Iga said.

And that’s just about as modest as musicians get.

The Trees and The Wild perform live
MD Radio show
Friday June 6, 8 p.m.
FX Entertainmant Center
Pintu I Senayan,
Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Hoek Gelora, Senayan
Tel. 021 3003 0888