It was the song "Spring Is In The Air" that made me love the new Woods EP so immediately. The cut, one of 6 new songs from the band, is part of Love Is Love, the new EP that drops today on Woodsist.
The tunes here are all superb, of course, with the standouts being the previously-mentioned "Spring Is In The Air" and the Sixties-tinged title cut. Equally impressive is the horn-assisted "Bleeding Blue" which recalls Orange Juice, and perhaps a few C86 bands. It is expertly arranged and played but it doesn't, of course, seem too mannered. Front-man Jeremy Earl has a real knack for tossing this sort of material off and making it look effortless. The excellent "Lost In A Crowd" sounds a bit like a classic from The Clientele, while the woozy "Hit That Drum" unfurls with more than a bit of a neo-psychedelic vibe to it.
As a stop-gap to the next full-length Woods album, Love Is Love is a fine addition to the Woods catalog. And as a stand-alone release, this EP is equally essential.
Love Is Love by Woods is out today via Woodsist.
[Photo: Chiara V. Donati]