woody from South London is back on the scene, returning with an utterly minimal two-piece release in “when you leave / when you were around,” a disarmingly pretty, seeping song of love and loss.
The 22-year-old producer-songwriter hailing from the quiet coastal town of Whitchurch has quietly established himself in the game, both behind the boards and in front of the mic. With this new offering, woody cements his skill for pairing textured soundscapes with heart-tinged storytelling, proffering two perspectives on absence and memory that are both starkly different and nodding in recognition to one another.
On the opening track, “when you leave,” woody embraces an ambitious, glossy pop aesthetic similar to The 1975, weaving skittering electronic beats with shimmering guitar lines. The production is lush but never overwhelming, allowing his melancholic vocals enough space to breathe. It’s a song that vibrates with urgency, how you feel just before a door closes when you know something valuable is about to escape. “when you were around” turns things down a notch, reducing the soundscape to its most essential parts. The song is a hushed, country-tinged ballad that maintains the warmth of a late-night confession, soft, simple, and completely vulnerable. The song stays with you like a voice you still hear, even after the person leaves.
woody’s superpower is his ability to shape the visceral into song, holding the line between glossy production and raw exposure. This double-single collates his deepening artistic reach, one foot in the purring, modern pop realm, the other steeped in the time-honored practice of naked, confessional songwriting. With “when you leave / when you were around,” woody makes you feel the love and loss. And if this release is any indication, his ascent from bedroom producer to one of the more promising voices in the indie scene has only just begun.
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