Few in the experimental sound world have captured space, movement and emotional intensity like Winterwood. Life partners Zac and Holly Winterwood, the architects of soundscapes so tender and translucent, it makes the heart skip a beat. The exploratory guitar series, in particular, something that almost defied belief, as Winterwood reached their apex on …The Source – dedicated to Zac’s father who passed away shortly before its release in 2024.
While there has been music since …The Source (2024’s Hillingar and last year’s The White Sea), like they always have, Winterwood operate outside the realm of cultural norms. PRs, self-promotion and release campaigns, non-existent in their world where time and escapism are the driving force of their remit.
On their latest release, In the Night Garden, the duo bring new elements into their expansive interpretation of minimalism. Venturing down similar paths to The White Sea, while the latter saw the duo produce the kind of soundscapes that lead to high-wire drama, In the Night Garden comes on a littler slower.
These long-form compositions wash over you, as Winterwood explore the ideas of deep-listening, post-rock and drone, oscillating between all three. Always submissive to nature, on this occasion the duo spin homespun warmth, but in slightly different ways. A liminal space, existing between immediate comforts and the great unknown of the environment.
On opening piece, Painted Night, there are echoes of Godspeed You! Black Emporer’s earlier works, but while the Canadian’s have spent a career choking on apocalyptic dread, Winterwood are more at peace with their surroundings. Holly’s violin and the backdrop of wind chimes and field recordings, a chorus where nature thrives.
Winterwood - In the Night GardenThroughout the piece, Winterwood adopt a more open-sourced approach – the introduction of percussion, helping pull their sound through to an immersive place. And it continues on The Grassed Veil. This time via East Cape Calling label mate, Sheila Bommakanti, whose beautiful pedal steel reveals sparkling new layers.
It’s here as Winterwood find themselves in the same orbit as SUSS before moving back into their ecosystem of chiming guitars, minimalist percussion and warm distortion that reaches a beautiful crescendo with a surge of strings.
As John Peel famously once said of The Fall: “Always different, always the same.” Winterwood are made of similar stuff, carving out their own unique path with textures, tone and space. Time and time again, they find new ways to expand on their craft, and in the world of minimalism, it’s a feat few others have replicated.
It’s down to their singular nature of remaining outside the realm of everyday realities. Students of the practice, refining their work to every last grain of sound. It’s what makes the Winterwood experience one of the most rewarding in modern-day experimental composition. And on In the Night Garden, that doesn’t change.
In the Night Garden is out now via East Cape Calling. Purchase from Bandcamp.
