After two hauntingly beautiful instrumental records, Feral Hymns and Acts of Light, Hilary Woods makes a powerful return to song-based composition with Night Criu – and yes, her voice is front and center. Pressed on luscious pink vinyl, this LP is both an intimate confession and a sonic ritual, wrapped in shadowy elegance.
Woods explores seven tracks of vocal-rich, emotionally charged soundscapes, using harmony and lyrical expression to reconnect with the self. Tracks like the hypnotic “Where the Bough Has Broken” and the mournful “Flowers Die Here” float between vulnerability and resilience, stitching together themes of memory, fragmentation, and healing. Every note feels like it’s rising from the depths of night to meet the morning.
This is a record steeped in contrast – a lament and a reclamation, a light-drenched dirge that refuses to conform to the weight of monoculture. Woods masterfully blends synths, strings, field recordings, and brass into a lush, cinematic palette. With contributions from Hangleton Brass Band, Gabriel Ferrandini, and more, Night Criu is a collective voice raised in poetic resistance.
Recorded across Ireland, the UK, and Latvia, and mixed by the ever-moody Dean Hurley, this is more than an album – it’s a lived experience, stitched with care and vision. A pink-hued raft for late-night introspection, Night Criu is an avant-garde treasure that whispers truths only the dark dares reveal.