More about: Woods

Ok, so remember when you used to put a sad song on and act as if you were the main character in your own Shakespearean tragedy, watching raindrops explode as they project onto the car window and observing scenery as it becomes to look like a Rothko painting? Yes, well, Woods’ latest album, Strange To Explain, is the antithesis. It’s the kaleidoscopic soundtrack to a summer romance, the beating heart of a John Green novel, the catharsis of a quirky British indie film about two misfits finding each other on the pursuit of enlightenment. 

Despite having released over ten albums in the past decade, Woods have not succumbed to the age old disease of musical repetition and the dullness that many bands fall victim to. Rather, Strange To Explain embarks further into their musical progression, fusing genres together to create what we’ll call psych-pop. 

Seemingly doused in sunlight, the record provides a perfectly creamy blend of electric and acoustic. Opening track, ‘Next To You And The Sea’ is like sinking your teeth into soft caramel. A synth meows hypnotically throughout this mesmerising track alongside an arresting bassline. The album follows suit with consequent dulcet vocals, twinkling synths and enchanting hooks. Title track, ‘Strange To Explain’ is the happy-go-lucky anchor of the vessel with the sweet descent of a xylophone echoing the smooth vocals of the chorus — a chorus which easily embeds itself in your mind. 

What solidifies Woods’ status as a notable band is their ability to place instrumental tracks in the album where most other groups would add a three minute ditty that disrupts the coherence of the album like someone talking during a film. ‘The Void’ is a triumphant ballad of acoustic guitar and beckoning brass — with no words at all, you can feel the emotion of the track. Closing the album with an instrumental is also quite the bold move, the last thing listeners will hear of the ensemble. ‘Weekend Wind’ takes the album into its hands, transporting listeners to a dim bar in New Orleans with its sultry, improvised yowls of a trumpet and fingers lightly dancing upon black and white keys until the whole thing disappears into a filthy haze. Let it be known that more albums should be doing this. 

Strange To Explain is out now via Woodsist.

More about: Woods