From Dublin's Northside, Hilary Woods has come far from her bassist roots. After a spell in fine art school and having studied literature and film in college, music called her back. In 2014 she released her critically acclaimed EP "Night" and embarked on a string of live shows both at home and abroad. Her follow up EP 'Heartbox' (2016) was made available on 7"vinyl from Rough Trade London, whilst 2017 was spent writing and recording tracks at home which culminated in her debut solo record 'COLT' to be released via Sacred Bones Records on June 8th. 'COLT' was co- produced and mixed by James Kelly (WIFE, Alter of Plagues) in Berlin in the Winter of 2017.
Woods' beguiling song- craft has been described as 'bewitching', sonically 'spectral', 'ominous and dreamlike', with the Sunday Times hailing early solo recordings as 'a revelation in terms of the depth of song-writing'. Her songs imbued with wonder, heartache and a compelling darkness, are accompanied by a tenacious creativity which has seen Woods stretching across multi-disciplinary thresholds exploring visuals and performance art alike. In 2017 Hilary was chosen as Dublin Fringe Festival's Wild Card artist after creating a piece of theatre NINE from sound design, she was subsequently awarded a place on Theatre Forum's Next Stage programme. Earlier in the year she was asked to compose original score for horror film as part of the Irish Film Institute's season celebrating the cinema of the Weimar Republic. Live, she has recently played as special guest to Warpaint and Keaton Henson with appearances made at Electric Picnic and Body & Soul. 2018 has been incredibly exciting thus far with Hilary's signing to Brooklyn's Sacred Bones Records. Her highly anticipated debut solo LP "Colt" is out June 8th, and available to buy on Bandcamp and all other platforms here.
With an alternate very Limited Edition Version (screen print wrap sleeve, wax sealed on Blue Vinyl) also available to order from the Sacred Bones Records official website
Take a listen to new singles; Inhaler, Black Rainbow and watch video to new single 'Prodigal Dog'
Press quotes on Colt
"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
"Beautiful .. an unassuming album full of somber allure."
- FACT MAGAZINE
"This debut on Sacred Bones, announces A Sublime New Voice"
- The Quietus
"Remarkably beautiful, ‘Colt’ is 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
"Stark and haunting compositions that stand on the edge of a knife"
- Bandcamp
“‘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
“‘Colt’ flawlessly details the Dublin musician’s personal exclusion through the darkest of times”
- Bristol Live Magazine
“Relish in the relaxing comfort of Woods ethereal voice melting into this dark, stormy palace” (8/10) - The Line of Best Fit
"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 Mag
"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
"An Impressive Debut"
- UNCUT
"Woods' haunting vocal work, providing an enchanting delicacy to the album.. Prodigal Dog and Kith are meditative and intense, while the prominent electronic beats of Jesus Said present an intriguing masterpiece.. an intoxicating dream pop haze"
- Bristol Live Mag
"An absorbing collection of sketch slow burners. Aiming to examine the allure of isolation and the complexities of desire, fans of Chelsea Wolfe's dark threnodies will find much to love on Colt. Ghostly lullaby 'Take Him In' is a simple yet stunning effort; the magnetic funeral march 'Limbs' is chilling and thrilling.. and 'Black Rainbow' is a seductive take on 50s torch songs ... A slow burner, Colt is the sound of an artist firing on all creative cylinders."
- Hot Press
*****
"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 from the Dublin musician, melding sparse rhythms with a serene fog of softly swirling piano lines, synth and more."
- The Thin Air http://thethinair.net/2016/07/watch-hilary-woods-sabbath/
"A Potent New Voice"
- Clash http://clashmusic.com/features/jj72s-hilary-woods-on-finding-her-own-voice
"Deft, warm, and indelibly melodic"
-State Magazine
"Stunning" - "For lovers of soaring surrealscapes."
-Drowned in Sound http://drownedinsound.com/news/4150211-video-world-premier--hilary-woods-sabbath
"Ominously dark and dreamlike.. An uncompromising and singular songwriter."
-The Last Mixed Tape
https://thelastmixedtape.com/2016/07/13/watch-hilary-woods-releases-lynchian-new-video-for-sabbath/
"Her sound is absolutely alluring"
-Dublin Concerts
"Intriguing, arresting stuff"
-Thumped
"Everything about her set was exceptional. The Dublin musician, with bassist foundations, continues to venture into the dark ambiance of eery piano and synth lines combined with an alluring and nose-crinkling hefty drum that is impossible not to throw a fist in the air rhythmically to."
- State Magazine
"A beguiling song-craft that flickers with brilliance...A real ethereal pop delight."
- Hot Press
"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
"Her sound seems to be inwrought with this delicious,darkness..Woods’ mesmeric singing is comprised of whispered vocals, shimmering atmospherics and poetic lyrics.. A force to be reckoned with in terms of song writing and performance. It's a scintillating listen. The vocals perfectly befit the beat, there’s that slow drawl to her voice that simply gets under one’s skin; the lyrics just ooze a mystical quality."
- Dublin Concerts
"Hushed vocals, reminiscent of Daughter’s Elena Tonra, nestled atop sparse but atmospheric accompaniment, to create an other-worldly arrangement that is a very promising indicator of an EP to come."
- In Dublin
"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
"Her sound is absolutely alluring ..with so much space to expand sonically, sudden and impactful introduction of an ominous, yet enchanting, piano part exemplifies the intricately created landscape in which Woods’ songwriting resides."
- TLMT