Fronted by multi-instrumentalist Rachel Trachtenburg – a performer in the New York music scene since she was six years old – Wooing offers hauntingly beautiful vocals backed by echoing guitars, the urgency of underground 90s rock (i.e. Helium, Quasi) meeting the psychedelic Syd Barrett sounds of the '60s. Unlike the songs off Wooing’s acclaimed first EP, Daydream Time Machine, that were written as private demos by Trachtenburg before Wooing was formed, the band’s newest release, The Clouds (Kanine Records), features two new songs that were written collaboratively with Wooing’s JR Thomason (guitar) and Rosie Slater (drums).
Known for disguising dark lyrics over the backdrop of an upbeat and energetic, heavier sound, Wooing continues to explore a lyrical / sonic juxtaposition. “In Her Head,” wanders deep inside one’s mind, giving into unwanted thoughts or the feeling of a spirit possession, and lead single, “Could Have Been,” pushes against that darkness, examining the disappointment of shallow friendships and ultimately learning when to move on from unhealthy ones.
The Clouds was recorded at Seaside Lounge & Doctor Wu’s in Brooklyn, mixed by Jon Kaplan and mixed / mastered by Kurt Feldman (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Chairlift, Kristen Kontrol). Wooing tracks mostly live on all songs, with those on The Clouds 7” recorded to tape.
