• Irish Tracks of the Week – December 3

    December 3, 2021 - By 

    On this, the final Bandcamp Friday of 2021, we’ve been landed with a wealth of fascinating singles from emergent acts, plus new albums and mixtapes from the likes of Kineograph, Hilary Woods, Arthur Itis and the North Cork Organic Group. Dig deep, and maybe support a few underground artists, if you fancy? Hilary Woods – Feral Hymns Feral Hymns by Hilary Woods Kineograph – CAPRICORN CAPRICORN by KINEOGRAPH FIXITY – [Do The] Bits and Pieces Arthur Itis – Am I Dancing? North Cork Organic Group – Blackwater Valley High (Landscape Mixtape) Blackwater Valley High (Landscape Mixtape) by North Cork Organic Group Me…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 50 Irish Releases of 2020

    December 20, 2020 - By 

    In years to come, when someone asks me what The Thin Air was and represented, I’ll likely direct them to features like the one you have just opened. Much like other publications of our ilk – Nialler9, The Last Mixed Tape, Goldenplec and others – we spend 52 weeks of the year relentlessly championing what truly makes Irish music special and, very occasionally, genuinely world-beating. We all do it in different ways, and to slightly different audiences, but the impetus and desire to shine a light on what we have is one and the very same. Although they’re almost never…

  • Hilary Woods – Colt

    June 13, 2018 - By 

    The word colt is used to in reference to either a male foal or a young untried person. Universally, horses symbolise a spirited force and freedom without restraint. In that defiance, a passionate desire also pervades. Both The Rolling Stones and U2 sang about wild horses; Keith Richards was inspired to write a lullaby for his toddler to articulate the strain of having to leave him to tour the world. Bono pined for a “dangerous” but exhilarating woman on Achtung Baby’s ‘Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses’. On her gorgeously soothing debut Colt, Hilary Woods marries these feelings of varied…

  • Privacy, Freedom, Bliss and Breadth: An Interview with Hilary Woods

    May 3, 2018 - By 

    Dublin native Hilary Woods found herself thrust into the public eye while still just a teenager, playing bass in the commercially successful alternative trio JJ72. Her tenure with the band saw her tour the world, grace the covers of music magazines and even appear on Top of the Pops. After two albums though Woods parted ways with her bandmates, ready to follow her own creative voice. The road to launching herself as a solo artist may have been a winding one but since 2013 fans have been treated to three darkly dreamlike releases showcasing Woods’ delicate voice and deft song…

  • Hilary Woods – Colt

    April 25, 2018 - By 

    Some artists are just destined to wind up on certain rosters. One such act is Dublin’s Hilary Woods, an artist whose solo craft we’ve followed with a certain glee over the last couple of years. On June 8, the musician, ex-JJ72 member and multi-instrumentalist will release her debut full-length album, Colt, via Brooklyn’s Sacred Bones, an indie imprint whose discerning (and, so far, pretty impeccable) penchant for repping acts such as Zola Jesus, Jenny Hval, David Lynch, John Carpenter, Blanck Mass and Marissa Nadler runs directly parallel with Woods’ very own crepuscular craft. Her minimal composition & otherwordly layered atmospherics follow two acclaimed EPs and recent scoring of a horror film for IFI’s Weimar…

  • Watch: Hilary Woods – Black Rainbow

    April 24, 2018 - By 

    Some artists are just destined to wind up on certain rosters. One such act is Dublin’s Hilary Woods, an artist whose solo craft we’ve followed with a certain glee over the last couple of years. On June 8, the musician, ex-JJ72 member and multi-instrumentalist will release her debut full-length album, Colt, via Brooklyn’s Sacred Bones, an indie imprint whose discerning (and, so far, pretty impeccable) penchant for repping acts such as Zola Jesus, Jenny Hval, David Lynch, John Carpenter, Blanck Mass and Marissa Nadler runs directly parallel with Woods’ very own crepuscular craft. Conjuring a woozed-out netherworld that wouldn’t feel in any way out…

  • Warpaint w/ Hilary Woods @ National Concert Hall, Dublin

    August 25, 2016 - By 

    There are dozens of details, both obvious and seemingly insignificant, that help to define a gig experience. The size and attitude of the audience, the choice of setlist and, of course, the individual performances of band members can elevate a run of the mill tour stop to something truly memorable. The importance of venue, though, can’t be understated. There’s a giddy thrill to be gained from catching a band in a sweaty bar, warm in the knowledge they’ll soon be arena headliners. Alternatively, poor sound or unhelpful staff can drain away any enthusiasm you might have had on the night,…

  • Watch: Hilary Woods – Sabbath

    July 14, 2016 - By 

    Back in May, ex-JJ72 bassist and solo artist Hilary Woods released easily one of our favourite Irish of the tracks of the year in the form of ‘Bathing‘. Following on in perfectly sanguine repose, ‘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. Accompanied by wonderful visuals courtesy of Joshua Wright, it’s a spectral combo that burrows deep. Heartbox is released on 7″ vinyl on Monday, July 18. Pre-order here.

  • Watch: Hilary Woods – Bathing

    May 25, 2016 - By 

    As we saw in her Track Record piece in the tenth issue of our physical magazine, ex-JJ72 bassist and solo artist Hilary Woods is an artist with a wonderfully diverse taste in music, a fact very keenly reflected her debut EP, Night. Set to release its highly-anticipated follow-up EP, Heartbox, on June 10, her single ‘Bathing’ is a quietly rapt masterstroke about “that feeling of waiting forever”, a sentiment captured with minimalist panache in its accompanying video, directed by Woods herself and filmed at both Dublin Zoo and Co. Wicklow’s rather beautiful Glendalough one “very cold morning” back in January. With more dates to be announced soon, Woods plays…