You don’t always need a passport to travel. Sometimes, you just need to sit still long enough.
I learnt that on a Sunday evening in Penang, at K(an)opi Coffee in Teluk Bahang. I went in expecting nothing more than a decent cup of coffee or tea. Instead, I walked into Sergey Onischenko, performing under the name Make Like A Tree.
There was no stage, no announcement. Just sound quietly filling the café. What I assumed was background music slowly took over the space.
At some point, I realised I’d travelled through a few cities without leaving my seat.
Eyes closed. Cold brew tea.
Sergey doesn’t call what he does “songs”. He calls them small journeys — ambient soundscapes designed to pull people out of their own hectic heads. It sounded like a nice line.
Then it worked.
“I try to take people on a small journey with the help of music,” he says. “When people close their eyes and feel like they’ve gone somewhere else, that’s enough.”
That mindset alone fits neatly into the My Indie World universe.
Ambient Soundscapes, Made on the Move
Sergey’s music sits somewhere between ambient, experimental, and travel notes. Each track is shaped by movement — trains, streets, forests, cafés, conversations. The kind of moments most people forget five minutes later.
Some tracks carry traces of Japan. Others quietly echo Malaysia. Listeners sometimes insist they hear Iceland. Sergey doesn’t argue.
“Sometimes it’s connected, sometimes it’s not,” he says. “I just take things from my journeys and put them into the tracks.”
Field recordings, unfamiliar instruments, accidental sounds — nothing is overly polished. That’s deliberate. The music isn’t trying to sound impressive. It’s trying to sound honest.
If Sergey stays in one place for too long, ideas dry up. Travel isn’t optional. It’s how the work continues.
Why “Make Like A Tree”?
The name isn’t random.
Trees, to Sergey, are about transformation. They take carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen — something unwanted becoming something necessary.
That logic runs through his music and his life.
“I like transforming emotions into music,” he says. “Turning something negative into something positive.”
In a culture obsessed with speed and output, Make Like A Tree moves differently. His tracks don’t rush. They don’t build to a drop. They don’t demand attention. They wait.
Music as an Exit Strategy
Sergey is clear about one thing: this music isn’t just for listeners.
“I also have a hectic mind,” he says. “Music helps me escape.”
These soundscapes aren’t about performance or perfection. They’re about switching mental gears. Slowing things down. Creating space where there usually isn’t any.
When he plays live, the shift is subtle but obvious. Conversations thin out. People look up. Some close their eyes. Nothing dramatic happens — and that’s exactly why it works.
A Journey That Doesn’t End
There was no master plan behind Make Like A Tree. Sergey simply stepped out of his house one day and started travelling. New places led to new people, which led to new ideas.
It didn’t stop.
“I got addicted to it,” he says. “Now it’s a non-stop journey.”
Every track comes from somewhere — not just on a map, but in time and mood. Music becomes memory storage. A personal archive others are free to step into.
Why Indie Music Still Needs People
After COVID, Sergey noticed a shift. People got comfortable staying home. Streaming replaced showing up. Live music became optional.
That’s a problem.
“Musicians need the audience,” he says. “Support your local bands.”
Indie music doesn’t survive on algorithms. It survives on people in rooms, listening — even briefly.
A Small Journey That Works
Make Like A Tree isn’t trying to impress anyone. He’s offering something simpler: a short exit from the noise.
In a world chasing bigger trips and louder experiences, his music reminds us that small journeys still count — especially the ones that happen without moving at all.
And sometimes, that’s enough.
Join Me on This Journey
This piece also lives beyond words.
🎥 Join me on this small escape — a short film shaped from this encounter with Make Like A Tree.
You can also follow Sergey’s ongoing travels and sound explorations on social:
🔗 Instagram — Make Like A Tree
🔗 Listen to Sergey’s music here
