"Stark and haunting compositions that stand on the edge of a knife"
- Bandcamp
“a rich tableau of hushed vocals and heavy note processing... it makes for a thrilling and scopic round trip from its source to the still sea of closer 'There Is No Moon'"
- The Quietus
"as tender and vulnerable as it can be powerful and all consuming”
- Long Live Vinyl
“full of oscillation wonder and discomfort, exhilaration and fear”
- Uncut
“A brutal and stark record not for the faint hearted”
- Louder Than War
“‘Birthmarks’ is a deeply sensory, corporal record”
- London in Stereo
“Gorgeous string arrangements, sax and synths give Birthmarks a palpable sense of encroaching mist”
- The Wire
"A dreamlike world on the edge of dusk"
-Treble Zine
"Colt feels like it’s set in the dead of night. From the first soft pulse of purplish synth that rises on opening track “Inhaler,” it’s clear immediately that this is music that draws its strength from a sense of ghostly mystery. It’s a cliché to use the phrase “Lynchian” for any and all synth-based, minor-key music, but it’s hard not to picture the fog floating through the trees of Twin Peaks in Woods’s baleful, darkly melodic music. If all Colt had going for it was atmospherics, it would be a pleasant diversion—comfort food for moody goths. But throughout Colt, Woods reveals herself to be a masterful melody writer. The way her voice drips down the octave live melting ice on “Inhaler” is masterfully executed, each note serving as a counter to the synths rippling like lace curtains behind her. On “Take Him In,” she tugs an insistent vocal melody through a piano arpeggio that ripples like the ocean at night. “Jesus Said” is almost medieval, Woods alternately elongating and rushing through notes as a lute-like bass melody cranks away behind her. Taken as a whole, Colt is utterly hypnotic, an album that you disappear into and allow its ghosts and phantoms to paint pictures around you."
-Bandcamp's top 7 new essential releases
"An unassuming album full of somber allure."
- FACT MAGAZINE
"A Sublime New Voice"
- The Quietus
"The sound of an artist stepping back into the shadows, away from the glare and the gloss, and shining brighter than ever."
- Clash Magazine
"Utterly hypnotic"
-Bandcamp
"Colt marks the arrival of a new voice crafting sublime bedroom narratives of trauma, recovery and quiet victory."
-The Quietus
"Magical.. ethereal vocals drift above delicate piano.. an atmosphere both serene & ghostly"
- Resident Music
"Layered and Harrowing Compositions, an imperative listen"
- The Thin Air
“‘Colt’ is a healing, empowering, human record, largely thanks to Woods’ understanding of melody and the impact it can have on one’s senses and emotions”
- Loud & Quiet
“Ghostly, atmospheric, intense, ‘Colt’ is an impressive debut”
- Uncut
“Such a powerful piece of work” (5/5)
- NARC
“Colt is a remarkable debut”
- London in Stereo
“A strange and enticing world”
- MOJO
"A Towering achievement.. Incredibly evocative..personal, affecting.. enrichingly human, such a powerful piece of work."
- NARC Mag
"A Force of her own"
- Brooklyn Vegan
"Meticulous"
- The Line of Best Fit
"Full of anguish and endlessly cathartic..A Remarkable Debut . Gossamer"
- London in Stereo
“With lead track “Inhaler”, she casts a hypnotising spell that places her somewhere between Marissa Nadler and Jenny Hval”
- DIY
"Startling minimalism taken to new heights.. these arrangements that are full of mystery and wonder .. songs that speak to us in the most moving of ways."
- The Crack
"For-boding, sparse, and enrapturing... a source of great mystery."
- The Last Mixed Tape
"An album of haunting ballads. These songs invoke the spirits of inner space rather than from beyond the grave."
- CVLT
"A revelation in terms of the depth of song-writing"
-The Sunday Times
"The wonderfully spectral "Sabbath" – the second track taken from her forthcoming Heartbox EP – is a masterfully meditative six-minute effort , melding sparse rhythms with a serene fog of softly swirling piano lines, synth and more."
-The thin Air
"A Potent New Voice"
- Clash
"A beguiling song-craft that flickers with brilliance".
"Spell-binding vocals layered with atmospheric instrumentals"
- In Dublin
"As enchanting and engrossing as ever, Woods and band translated the pulsing rhythms and hushed, crafted sound of the artist’s recent E.P. Night. Through captivating renditions of ‘Flames’ and ‘Secret Sabbath’, Woods once again defined herself as one of the country’s most unique and tonally defined songwriters...A slow-burning record that flickers with brilliance, Hilary Woods’ new E.P. Night marks a continued and promising evolution in sound from the artist."
-TLMT
"Woods and her band were stellar on the night, moving from stripped back singer-songwriter fare into more dissonant, effect-laden passages with a relaxed confidence"
-Totally Dublin
"The musician, seems to orchestrate each musical and creative movement around her with beguiling confidence.
In bewitching form, Woods stays silent between performances, ratcheting up the tension and keeping the show feeling cohesive and unbroken by outside interference…Affecting in its atmosphere and enraptured in stylised creativity... mark the impactful return of a uncompromising and singular songwriter."
-TLMT
"Stunning...dense as the songs are with allusive imagery, heading straight as they do for the subconscious, you could certainly make a case for Night as Terence Malick music."
- State Magazine
"afforded a similar hushed reverence.. there’s a darker undercurrent to Woods’ work, with many songs starting off with deep drones and ominous rumbles. Songs from her acclaimed debut Colt are rendered with just an acoustic guitar or piano, laying them bare in skeletal form, yet they remain hauntingly beautiful. Near pitch darkness adds to the intrigue, her voice drifting through the gloom like a ghost."
- Drowned in Sound live Review from Le Guess Who
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