New release: Amy Aileen Wood’s The Heartening out today

“[R]ecalls the scrapheap jazz of Tom Waits’s Swordfishtrombones mixed with early Aphex Twin” John Lewis, The Guardian

We are delighted to announce that Amy Aileen Wood’s The Heartening is out today on Colorfield Records.

via @amyaileenwood:

Myy album ‘the heartening’ is out today on colorfield records. a heartfelt thank you to everyone who took the time to listen and preorder. i can’t thank pete min enough for inviting me to collaborate on this record. making it cracked me open, and i’m grateful for the experience. thanks to all the musicians who contributed to and elevated these songs.

Album Notes:

When initially approached by Pete Min of Colorfield Records about collaborating on an album of her own, Amy was met with a mix of intrigue and abject terror. “My motivation was entirely fear based,” Wood explains, “I think my first question for Pete was, ‘are you sure?’ But it’s always good to get out of your comfort zone. And ultimately it was equal parts uncomfortable and rewarding.”

By harnessing those feelings of discomfort, Amy manages to create a lush soundscape rife with tension, release, curiosity and playful exploration on her debut release, The Heartening. Armed with little more than a cymbal bag, a bottle of wine, and a willingness to explore, Amy and Pete hunkered down in Min’s Los Angeles studio, Lucy’s Meat Market, for a series of experimental sessions in the spring and summer of 2023. The goal of those sessions? In Amy’s words, “to come in and be as unencumbered as possible.”

The resulting album features cameo appearances from Bolt Cutter brethren Fiona Apple, Sebastian Steinberg, and John Would, with guest work from Daphne Chen, Nicole McCabe, Wayne Whittaker, and Kelsey Wood. Drawing from such eclectic influences as 90s hip-hop and punk rock to artists like Floating Points and Brian Eno, The Heartening is a record steeped in subtle textures, unpredictable twists and ear-turning instrumentation, a paradoxical listening experience that is at once both calming and chaotic.

-Wayne Whittaker


TRACKS: 1. Rolling Stops / 2. Hiccups / 3. Number Zero / 4. Bangs / 5. The Valley / 6. Time For Everything / 7. Midnight Zone / 8. Slow Light / 9. My Shadow / 10. The Learning Problem