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Hilary Woods

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Hilary Woods
OriginRepublic of Ireland
GenresAlternative
OccupationSinger
Instrument(s)Vocals, bass, piano
Years active1996–present
LabelsSacred Bones
Formerly ofJJ72

Hilary Woods is an Irish musician born in Dublin.[1] She is a solo artist, previously a member of the alternative rock band JJ72, with which she played bass guitar from 1996 until 2003.[2] JJ72 had success with two Top 20 albums in the early 2000s with Woods as the bassist.[3] She quit the music industry until 2013, returning with her first solo album, The River Cry, and the EP Night the following year.[3]

Woods' solo albums have a gentle, ambient folk sound with "nocturnal keyboard-based songs".[3] Her musical inspiration comes from filmmakers, electronic artists, experimental noise, and folk music traditions.[3] She is currently signed to Sacred Bones Records.[1]

Biography

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Woods was raised in Dublin by parents that fostered a musical environment, playing classical, folk and rock LPs in the home.[3] Her parents encouraged her to play music, and she began learning her main instrument, the piano.[3] Her brother was encouraged to play instruments as well.[3] As an 18-year-old, Woods joined the band JJ72 with singer/guitarist Mark Greaney and drummer Fergal Matthews.[3] Woods played bass in the band from the late 90's to the early 2000's.[3]

JJ72 was signed to Sony imprint Lakota Records and released their debut self-titled album in 2000, followed by their second album in 2002.[3] Both albums were successful and reached Top 20 charts in the UK and Ireland.[3] The group toured for a total of four years, after which Woods left the band and did not return to the music industry for more than a decade.[3]

A year after leaving JJ72, Woods started a family and focused on raising her daughter.[3]

Before returning to the music industry, Woods took college courses that sparked creativity and compelled her to continue making music.[3] Notably, she was inspired by filmmakers such as Wong Kar-wai and Chris Marker.[3] She also expanded her musical horizons by listening to electronic artists such as Jon Hopkins and Vincent Gallo.[3]

After her spell in fine art school and having studied literature and film in college, she returned to music under the name The River Cry for one confidential self-titled album in 2013,[4] then started to release EPs under her own name (Night in 2014 and Heartbox in 2016); leading to her debut solo record Colt in 2018[5] as a Sacred Bones artist.[6] After releasing her debut solo EP Night, Woods began touring again.[3] Her most recent album, Acts of Light, was released in 2023.[7][8]

Discography

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Albums

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With JJ72

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Solo

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EPs

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  • Night (2014)
  • Heartbox (2016)
  • Feral Hymns (2021)

Singles

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  • "N.I.B." (2021)
  • "In Heaven" (2022)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hilary Woods". Spotify. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  2. ^ "'I'm far more creative artistically as a mother' – former JJ72 bassist Hilary Woods". 18 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Hilary Woods Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  4. ^ "The River Cry : Review in GoldenPlec". 2 April 2013.
  5. ^ "press pieces – Hilary Woods". Hilary Woods. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Sacred Bones – Hilary Woods". Sacred Bones Records. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. ^ "press pieces – Hilary Woods". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  8. ^ https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/products/sbr274-hilary-woods-acts-of-light
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