Strange To Explain represented Woods’ first work following a series of milestones - Earl and Taveniere created the now-classic Purple Mountains record with David Berman; Taveniere moved from New York to California, making the band bicoastal for the first time in its 15-year existence; and Earl became a father. “Those first few months or first year of having a newborn kind of put me in a dreamlike state,” Earl told NPR’s Weekend Edition. “Starting to write the record was an escape for me from my everyday reality and anxieties.” The album was released to praise from Pitchfork, The Fader, Stereogum, Relix, and the New York Times, who profiled the band and called Strange To Explain their “most magnetic record yet… These 11 songs pair the eccentricity of Woods’ early records with the conviction that it’s all worth saying and playing a little louder.”
PRAISE FOR STRANGE TO EXPLAIN:
“Kaleidoscopic… permeated with a sense of transformation while still faithful to the lore they've cultivated.” - THE FADER
“Sounds like a daydream built for a spring day.” - STEREOGUM
“A dreamy, unsettling, Mellotron-filled album that feels especially appropriate right now.” - PITCHFORK
“Fifteen years into their career, Woods continue to reinvent their brand of psych-tinged folk-rock.” - KCRW
“Mystical and luscious.” - CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND
“Without losing the unfiltered emotion that makes them so compelling, Woods reach a new maturity with these songs. Fifteen years into a tirelessly curious evolution, the band sound more comfortable and surefooted here than ever before.” - ALLMUSIC
“Wistful and lightly melancholic.” - BROOKLYN VEGAN
“All the way through this album, Earl’s voice is majestic and pure. There’s plenty of pain within its timbre, but it’s also healing—not just passively in and of itself, but also actively for the listener.” - FLOOD
“It just might be Woods’ loveliest album yet.” - RELIX
“Strange to Explain represents some of Woods’ most introspective and meditative work to date.” - UNDER THE RADAR
“One of indie rock’s most reliable bands… Earl and Taveniere’s shared production is the best it’s ever sounded.” - POP MATTERS
“A warm spirit in the face of melancholy realities shines through.” - PASTE
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