Hilary Woods is a Dublin-born ambient producer signed to Sacred Bones Records. Her work stretches to many aspects of media, such as song, sound, writing, and filmmaking, all complementing one another as she lays down a beautiful set of ambient work.

Her newest single, titled ‘Where The Bough Has Broken’, is a magical piece taking on aspects of dark ambience and drone. The single is one of nine slow hypnotic dirges to spawn from Wood’s new album Acts of Light (coming out on November 11th) and is a beautiful place to start for listeners wanting to get a sense of the sounds to come.

Slow, heavy droning and synth establish the groundwork for the piece as layers of viola, cello, and choral chant seep in. Once the strings enter, the cello and viola create a truly frozen ambiance reminiscent of ancient Nordic funeral marches. Woods recorded the strings in Oslo as they were performed by Jo Berger Myhre, which could account for the sound. The Plestrina Choir, together with the Galway City Chamber Choir, adds to this coldness but also adds a sense of sacredness to the composition. Both the choirs used in this piece Woods recorded in the Procatherdral Dublin, in her hometown, creating a natural reverb to the track as the unified voices dance upon the cieling of the cathedral.

Woods upcoming album ‘Acts of Light’ is said to be overflowing with reminiscence and nostalgia of Woods’ hometown of Dublin; that influence is already being used with archival footage found in the music video for the single ‘Where The Bough Has Broken’. Woods explains her reasons for doing so here: “This video muses on the beauty of community and resilience, made to a piece of music that celebrates connection and the specificity and transience of time, space, and human expression. This music video is a visual love letter to the Dublin City I grew up in, to the spirit of familial roots and the extraordinary moments in ordinary life that leave their lasting impression.”

It’s exciting to hear the first taste of Hilary Woods developing sound, and with Acts of Light set to release in November, it’s even more intriguing to hear what’s next for this artist.