EP Review: Woodes ‘Woodes’
Melbournian producer Woodes first caught our ears with her hot debut single The Thaw, and since then she’s been busy creating five more tracks to go alongside it on her self-titled debut EP. If you’re a fan of modern electronica and smooth production, you won’t regret losing yourself in ‘Woodes’ – in fact, you might never want to be found.
The underlying energy in opening number Rise sets ‘Woodes’ up for success, the perfect complement to its captivating dynamic changes and luminescent synthesiser melodies. The track combines vocals similar to quirk-loving songstresses Feist and Kimbra with tentative, irresistibly modern production. The collaborative influence of producer Golden Vessel and multi-talented musician Lanks shines in Rise and forms a common thread through the EP.
If you’re a fan of modern electronica and smooth production, you won’t regret losing yourself in ‘Woodes’ – in fact, you might never want to be found.
Like Rise, Poison is a silky combination of quirky vocals and smooth, subtle production. Only halfway through the album, Woodes has already showcased her ability to take from a wide range of electronic, pop, and alternative influences, bind elements together, and put her own stamp on them.
Woodes’ first single The Thaw is an enticing highlight, throwing rhythmic beats and guitar melodies together like perfectly interlocking cogs. Her breathy vocals and subtle harmonies against a slow instrumental build make for an angst-ridden track, the true highlight being her ability to keep the busy and the sparse separate and somehow also seamlessly blended together.
Daggers & Knives is the ultimate slow build, beginning bare with a falsetto intro and leading into another subtle and unique tapestry of production. The instrumentation is both glassy and gritty, relaxed and restless. Grinding sound effects seem out of place at times, but it’s this unusual element that holds the listener’s attention in a tight grip. Moody, seductive, and deep, Daggers & Knives encapsulates the sound of temptation, delivering a stark contrast to the first half of the EP.
Built upon a busy rhythm capable of transporting you to the foot of an abandoned campfire, Bonfire almost sounds like it could have come straight out of Pocahontas.
From that point on, ‘Woodes’ never turns back to its original form, taking the final two tracks in different directions. Bonfire brings a renewed energy and a fresh blend of textures to the EP. Built upon a busy rhythm capable of transporting you to the foot of an abandoned campfire, it almost sounds like it could have come straight out of Pocahontas. It takes on a new life through quirky Kimbra-esque melodies, unique percussive additions, and the occasional glimmer of modern production against those trademark soothing vocals.
Almost immediately, Byron has something the EP’s other tracks take longer to build: an emotive edge. A slow, synth-based beginning leads into sparse instrumentation and hesitant, breathy vocals, and the softness becomes more of a fixture as the track progresses. Everything about it is gentle: the percussion, the vocal harmonies, the melodic progression – it’s a soft landing at the end of a turbulence-free flight.
Woodes’ self-titled EP is all the best bits of modern electronica wrapped up in a smooth casing, and it has emotion in spades, but it almost feels as though the power and grit has been held back. As it is, you won’t easily forget these six tracks, but with a little more attitude, ‘Woodes’ would be an unmissable addition to the music library of every electronica lover.
You can catch Woodes supporting Ngaiire on tour, kicking off later this month – check out the dates below!
Check out our interview with Lanks and Woodes HERE
Read more about Woodes’ single The Thaw HERE
Ngaiire ‘Blastoma’ Tour Dates
Supported by Woodes
FRI 25 NOV
Corner Hotel, Melbourne
FRI 2 DEC
The Factory, Sydney
FRI 9 DEC
The Zoo, Brisbane
Get Tickets HERE
