First, Khamari had four walls to keep him company. Now, the “Head In A Jar” singer is hoping to find refuge outdoors. With fans itching for the crooner’s sophomore album, Khamari continues to stir that pot with yet another single, and it is an emotional doozy.
Khamari has drawn viral comparisons to Frank Ocean due to the texture of his vocals. However, his new track, “Sycamore Tree,” incorporates another R&B great’s signature sound — that of D’Angelo. Tucked neatly into the instrumentation of “Sycamore Tree,” cultured ears will quickly identify a reworked interpolation of D’Angelo’s breakout hit “Untitled (How Does It Feel).”
On “Sycamore Tree,” Khamari grapples with the frightening and at times overwhelming feeling brought forth by connectivity. While intimacy is a necessary part of the human experience, it requires one to forfeit control. Although it happens over time, eventually, when you realize just how much you’ve relinquished, it leaves you unsettled.
“It started just a seed / And everyday it grew a little more / Growing stronger and stronger / Lust rooted Mariana deep / There’s a tension when you’re next to me / I try to put it poetically / But tender words don’t come close / And nor do crescendos / It’s a tidy bed / Full of thorns of a rose / But I lie in it / Hoping that there’s a chance / That you too long for romance / My heart is in your hazel hands,” he sings.
Despite Khamari’s gentle vocals never reaching decibels above an average speaking tone, his desperation for emotional solace screams between the delicate instrumentation. When paired together, these elements are quite mesmerizing. Yet, it is easily matched by the impressively imaginative songwriting, which is credited partly to Trackside’s Diederik van Elsas and Jerome Monroe Jr, among others.
Co-produced alongside Trackside, Slimwav, and Matt Spatola, Khamari’s “Sycamore Tree” proves the fate of R&B’s new generation is in greatly capable hands.
In a statement provided to ENVERT, Khamari dove deeper into the emotional nuance of “Sycamore Tree.”
“The song captures how something subtle can slowly take over your life—consuming you with desire until you lose your sense of direction,” he said. “It’s deeply rooted, yet always just out of reach. I wanted the music to mirror that journey, starting soft and growing into something beautifully dramatic.”
Watch Khamari’s official visualizer for “Sycamore Tree” below, directed by production company SHOTCLOCK.
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