Hilary Woods has been an experimentalist since the beginning of her solo career back in 2018, as her debut LP Colt established a morbid ambient-pop sound that’s both minimal and consistently unsettling. In retrospect, that initial set of songs feels relatively quaint—not so much because we’ve advanced beyond a moment that celebrates such spectral dream-pop (quite the contrary: if anything, Colt foreshadowed the still-growing appeal of artists like Midwife and Emma Ruth Rundle, let alone the stardom of Ethel Cain), but because Woods’ music has evolved into such a unique and creepy space, as evidenced on her latest venture, Night CRIÚ.
Landing five years after her last non-instrumental album (which isn’t to say that 2023’s Acts of Light wasn’t a groundbreaking work of ambient drone), the record opens with the ominous sound of cello before slowly introducing the project’s sound palette—which includes a broader and equally haunted-sounding string section, vaguely nautical bells, and a children’s choir used to chilling effect. Despite all of its competition on this particular release day, for my money, this is the best soundtrack to Halloween 2025 I’ve heard yet.
With the record out via Sacred Bones, we asked Woods to elaborate on some of the record’s non-musical influences, which include novels, photo exhibits, and more. Check out the album and read up on Woods’ recent readings and more below.
Alphabetical Diaries by Sheila Heti
This exploration and experiment in form is an inspiration. So fresh it zings off the page.
Drive Your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Olga Tokarczuk’s command of language is both infectious and energising—Drive Your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead is an unmissable read.
Eadwerd Muybridge
His sequence photography of animal locomotion is really special. His moving images were pioneering works that still captivate.
Misan Harriman’s photo exhibit The Purpose of Light
Harriman’s voice resonates profoundly in his unflinching look at the human condition in his work The Purpose of Light. He invites us to bear witness to protest and solidarity giving space to our shared humanity.
Dance artist Martha Graham
The Godmother of Modern Dance, Martha Graham’s dance company has always inspired. Bringing dance in new directions into the 20th century, her technique, vision, and dance works are primal and powerful.
