Expression becomes its most potent under floodlight. At least, it does in ‘Body Rhyme’,Ben Woods’ latest release since his debut album, PUT (2018).
On ‘Body Rhyme’, Woods moves into expansive territory, with bolshy, polished production. Tape recorders become melodic beat makers and are paired with stumbling pianos and guitars. ‘Body Rhyme’ is an up tempo, though simultaneously hushed, sparsely laid single. “Nothing could be wrong with that / showing both our eyes turn black” – Woods sings of liberation through exposing our true natures. ‘Body Rhyme’ inhabits the ebb and flow between vulnerability and self-protection, while Woods’ voice, bright and forefront, hits sinister and bold, with a new sense of grounding since we last heard it.
‘Body Rhyme’ comes as the first release from a series of sessions with Ben Edwards in Lyttelton. Edwards is known for his port-side recording shack The Sitting Room, which has been responsible for the debuts of beloved alt-folk/country alumni Aldous Harding, Marlon Williams, and Julia Jacklin. Its accompanying video, directed by Martin Sagadin, is built entirely from clips of Woods’ gyrating nude figure falling to darkness. Shot on black and white 16mm film, the video summons the vivid monochrome of German Expressionist film and Samuel Beckett’s absurdist theatre. Woods’ grotesque, fleshy display propels his latest leap toward a newfangled brand of poignancy.
Woods has remained consistently performing and producing work since his debut in 2018. If not circuiting New Zealand with his group, touring or performing at festivals, he could be found composing soundtracks for film. The release of his ruminative long player PUT saw him performing alongside Steve Gunn, No Age, Tiny Ruins, and touring with Aldous Harding.
Through lockdown, Woods turned his energy outwards as he managed an online streaming festival—Better Living, Everyone. The festival boasted 30+ artists including Lawrence Arabia, Marlon Williams, Emily Edrosa, and Delaney Davidson, and attained more than 15,000 viewers.
‘Body Rhyme ‘comes as the first release in a new chapter for Woods’ music. His days are monastic, spent at home or around the bend at Edwards’ studio fervently working towards his new album. “There’s much less approximation involved in the work we’ve done, because it’s so localised” he states. “We’ve had the time to give all these ideas their own space. So, it’s more of an exercise of checking in with the songs, retuning the knobs and dials, and seeing how they breathe in new environments. I want the recordings to exist as a world in themselves, so they’ve got to be treated as living”.
“Body Rhyme was one of the first songs I wrote after my first record. It has a quality that speaks to me of the feeling of throwing yourself into a new batch of songs — an excitement that comes with the chance to renew your aesthetic and vision. I feel the video shares this too. It sits in a place that feels more aligned to what I love in music. There’s a chaotic element to it, a vulnerability, and because we’re using simple concepts it all sits so nicely together.”
We had ten minutes of 16mm film, a curtain, a spotlight, and my body. I felt some pressure coming into set, but quickly resigned my discomfort after a good amount of gyrating. It became a fun game trying to find my most grotesque and ambiguous angles.
Martin and I have known each other for a long time now. They’ve been involved in every video so far. With this one I feel like we nailed on the head what we’ve both been looking for when collaborating on these videos. A pleasing blend of the visceral and the surreal. I’m again incredibly thankful for them making it possible to realise all these bizarre visions!”
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