Ead Wood

Bristol’s EAD WOOD share new single Midlife wrapped in a lush slacker 90s indie-folk sound with frontman Ed Soles’ Americana style drawl singing his signature candid lyrics full of dry humour and an understated sentimentality…. (“I was late to everything, but I was early to my midlife crisis. It hit me like a sack of shit, and I really didn’t like it” - Midlife), with the single accompanied by a suitably lo-fi animated video featuring Macaulay Culkin (of sorts).

The song is a push to follow your dreams and take gambles regardless of the outcome. “I quit my steady job a few years back to allow more time and energy to put into music” explains Ed. “It didn’t quite go to plan and the music industry is a tricky beast to navigate, but if you don’t gamble, you’ll never know.”

EAD WOOD is a quintet from Bristol whose lo-fi slacker indie-rock/folk sound is bathed in lap steel guitar, harmonica, and ambient sounds, with Clash describing them as “defiantly original”.  

Midlife is the second single, following Why (an ode to celebrating one’s idiosyncrasies), to be taken from EAD WOOD’s new folk-rock A Sparking Gift EP which sees the band delve further into the realms of sonic experimentation, moving through melancholy lo-fi to rock bangers, creating a collection of songs with infectious but effortlessly easy melodies. Whilst frontman Ed has honed his skill of expertly sugaring the pill in his offbeat lyrics, blending sombre themes with slick irony and obscure observations.

A Sparkling Gift EP follows a run of earlier pre-pandemic EPs that established EAD WOOD as pillars of the local indie/alternative scene, garnering attention from tastemakers such as Clash, DIY and The Line of Best Fit, with their energetic live sets scoring slots at Glastonbury, Left of the Dial Festival and more recently supporting Surf Curse at SWX in Bristol.

Midlife is out now on all digital streaming platforms with the video available via YouTube, with A Sparkling Gift EP following on 10 November.  It was created by EAD WOOD’s current line-up of founder Ed Soles (frontman/rhythm guitar), Pete Woolaston (lead guitar), Dave Weir (drums), Chris Howarth (bass), and Sam Haward (banjo/lapsteel) and recorded and produced at Cavendish Studios in London by Ben Andrewes (Margot, Blackaby, Lilo, Sibling), and mastered by Alfie Tyson Brown (Katy J Pearson).