Lowpines is the performing name of Oli Deakin, a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer currently based in Brooklyn, New York, but originally from Penrith at the edge of the Lake District in the UK. The name Lowpines comes from Deakin trying different combinations of words from a long list he had put together; he finally settled on Lowpines.
Deakin’s career has seen him appear in a number of bands, perhaps most notably Bear Driver, a band that appeared on the scene somewhere around 2010 and had a minor hit single with Wolves in 2010, which hit #85 in the Official UK Singles Chart. In 2012, Bear Driver released a self-titled album and had a song, No Time to Speak, featured in the movie “Stuck in Love” or “Writers” as it was named for its U.S. release; however then the band appeared to fizzle out somewhat, no longer performing or releasing records after 2012 as its members pursued other projects.
One of these other projects was Lowpines.
A noted collaborator, Deakin has performed with a number of different artists, including Benjamin Francis Leftwich (playing guitar and keyboards) and with Ed Nash (bass player from Bombay Bicycle Club), with whom he played guitar.
In the studio, Deakin has worked with, amongst others, The Wandering Hearts, Elanor Moss and UK americana artist Little Lore. In the case of Little Lore, Lowpines was credited with the production of the 2025 LP River Stories (Little Lore is the performing name of Tricia Duffy, so we have Little Lore (or Tricia Duffy) produced by Lowpines (or Oli Deakin), which could be a little confusing).
Most notably, Deakin is known for the work he has done with Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, better known as CMAT. On CMAT’s 2022 debut LP If My Wife New I’d be Dead, an album that made it to #1 on the Irish Albums Chart, Deakin was producer and mixer, in addition to contributing guitar, lap steel, banjo, bass guitar, piano, synthesizer, strings, percussion, glockenspiel, clarinet, Casiotone, Wurlitzer and organ, the multi-instrumentalist displaying his array of skills.
CMAT’s current Mercury Prize-nominated album EURO-COUNTRY, her third long player, released in 2005, again reached #1 on the Irish Albums Chart and so far has peaked at #2 on the Official UK Albums Chart. For EURO-COUNTRY, a record that appears to transcend genres in terms of its wide appeal, Deakin has a co-writing credit with Thompson on the song Tree Six Foive. With Deakin being credited with production and engineering, as well as contributing synthesiser, Mellotron, electric guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, percussion, pump organ, backing vocals, lap steel guitar, mandolin, drums, piano, clarinet and electric piano across various tracks, it’s clear that Deakin had a significant hand in the shaping of this record.
Under the Lowpines moniker, Deakin’s songs tend to be intimate, thoughtful and reflective; the sound is characterised by understated arrangements, hushed, close-mic’d vocals and layered textures. The Lowpines recorded output includes a mix of physical and digital-only releases across LPs, EPs and singles. Lowpines’ first release, in 2012, was the Give Me A Horse EP, a release that includes a cover of The Be Good Tanyas’ It’s Not Happening. Other EPs followed before in 2014; the album Lowpines was the artist’s debut full-length release.
2018 saw the release of the second Lowpines album, In Silver Halides, which was greeted with significant acclaim. Described in some quarters as lofi‑Anglo‑americana‑pop
The latest Lowpines full-length studio release is 2021’s Sun Down Over The East River Shore.
In 2024, Lowpines released a live-in-the-studio album, entitled Live at the Figure 8, the recording taking place at Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn.
You can see how Lowpines is developing as a recording and performing artist (and producer) with the more recent Lowpines recordings building on the elements created in the earlier recording sessions; the result is the newer recordings having a more mature, sophisticated sound to them. Interestingly, Deakin also offers residential recording and writing sessions in Cumbria.
Deakin has previously stated that he intended to release a new LP in 2025, although to date the record has not emerged. Fingers crossed that the new record appears soon.
