Life is messy. Beautiful. Cruel. Tender. It is these extremes that The Spikes, the ever-evolving project of Iago Haussman, captures with ruthless precision in “Sapling Tree.” This isn’t just a song—it’s a world. A meditation on heartbreak, desire, and the paradoxes of human existence, it slams listeners into the raw, unvarnished truth of love, loss, and longing. With a baritone voice hovering over delicate piano and swelling orchestral undertones, The Spikes transforms despair into art that lingers long after the last note fades.

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With “Sapling Tree” Iago embraces a new conceptual approach. Capturing the idea of a traveler experiencing the world in fragements—moments of love, tragedy, birth, and memory. “At first it was a singular journey through a distant place. Then I thought it should be a journey through life. Many places. Life events. So, the journey becomes diverse and random… but all these random images are brought together by the chorus, which is saying, no matter how crazy everything gets, it’s all part of the tree of life. There is order in the Universe. This tree will keep on growing. Like the wind will keep blowing. The sun will keep shining. The waves will keep rolling. It’s a metaphor for everything that has certainty and will keep going,” he explains.

To achieve this shattered vision, Iago used the ‘Cut Up’ technique, developed by Brion Gysin and William Burroughs, famously adapted by David Bowie. “The hardest part is forcing myself to be random. I started with two poems of visions and experiences, then cut each sentence out, mixed them, and randomly selected each sentence. Then I readjusted the wording to make musical sense. The order of sentences is not guided by me, but by random selection—thrown together like a real journey through life,” he says.

Captured in Tangier, Morocco, the visuals were directed by acclaimed filmmaker Michael Haussman, whose work with Madonna, Kanye West, and Justin Timberlake is renowned—bringing the city’s mystique and spirit vividly to life. “Tangier is a very spiritual place, with a timeless, almost biblical feel. It became a journey representing the vibe of the song—the experiences a traveler off the beaten path might take. Coincidentally, Tangier is where Brion Gysin and William Burroughs invented the ‘Cut Up’ technique. So, true to the Sapling Tree, I filmed myself in some of the fleabag hotel rooms Burroughs stayed in. Coincidence? Or maybe it’s supposed to be,” Iago shares.

“In ‘Sapling Tree’, we hear about experience. We feel something spiritual happening. But the takeaway, like the chorus, is hope. No matter how chaotic life becomes, there is something solid you can count on. The Sapling Tree provides that order in the chaos,” Haussman reflects.

“Sapling Tree” follows his latest release, “Dancing (In the Palm of My Hand),” which is nearing 40,000 views on its music video, and the chilling “Guns for the Children” single and video, which has amassed more than 20,000 views.

With “Sapling Tree,” The Spikes continues to expand its sonic and visual universe, proving that art can be both confrontational and redemptive. It is the sound of searching and surrender, of chaos finding its shape in order. As Iago Haussman embraces risk and reinvention, he invites listeners into a body of work that is not just heard, but felt and lived.

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About The Spikes

Iago Haussman, known professionally as The Spikes, is a genre-defying singer-songwriter, poet, and painter. Born and raised in Rome, Italy, fluent in Italian, Iago brings a cinematic sensibility to his work, shaped by a childhood spent on film sets and a lifelong immersion in the arts.

The Spikes’ debut self-titled EP introduced listeners to his minimalist yet emotionally charged sound. His breakout single, “Guns for the Children”—a stark meditation on violence and lost innocence—released in June 2025, quickly gaining traction, with the accompanying music video at over 30,000 views on YouTube. He followed with “Dancing (In the Palm of My Hand),” a hypnotic exploration of fragility and control, whose video is now nearing 40,000 views.

More than a music project, The Spikes is an evolving artistic identity. Iago’s multidisciplinary work—across music, visual art, and literature—reflects a cohesive aesthetic that is poetic, unflinching, and deeply human. He has exhibited paintings in galleries and is preparing to release his second book of poetry with select pieces performed at live readings, and co-founded the punk band Delicate Prey at age 16.

Splitting his time between the U.S. and Berlin, The Spikes will release new singles throughout summer 2025, leading up to his full-length album, slated for release in 2026.