Amy Aileen Wood - The Heartening (2024)

Amy Aileen Wood is unaccustomed to the spotlight, which is very much by design. A calming presence in any room and a force behind the drum kit, Wood meshes her astute listening skills with an undeniable ownership of the music at hand, as illustrated in her work on Fiona Apple’s 2020 record Fetch The Bolt Cutters, which Wood co-produced.
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