Today, Feb. 15, The Wood Brothers have shared the opening track and first single off their impending studio release, Heart Is The Hero, due April 14 via Honey Jar/Thirty Tigers. Titled “Pilgrim,” the track is a jaunty, acoustic-driven number and serves as a preview of the forthcoming collection.
Like the whole album, "Pilgrim" was recorded entirely analog to 16-track tape to give the musicians a purposeful limitation that evokes the less is more mentality in the studio. The band’s press release states, “This approach ties back to themes of being in the moment and trusting your heart that run through the entire ten-track collection.”
“A song like 'Pilgrim' is all about slowing down and paying attention,” offered Oliver Wood. “I'd heard somebody compare being a pilgrim to being a tourist. If you're a tourist, you're just distracted and partying. It's a different intention than a pilgrim. A pilgrim, the way I think about it, is somebody on a spiritual mission, smelling every flower on the path and really letting your soul catch up with you. It's that 'being still’ thing and trying to be present. It'll get you further in terms of being happy then hauling ass, swiping, scrolling and consuming all of the time.”
Chris Wood also shared, “The recording process for this album was completely different from our last one, Kingdom In My Mind, where we had all the time in the world to experiment, tinker, and shape performances. For those sessions, I was living in Nashville close to Oliver and Jano, but I've since relocated to Canada, so our time to record together this time around had to be extremely focused and intentional. I think those limitations actually added something special. The end results feel raw, honest, immediate, and vulnerable, more so than any other record we've made to date."
Prior to the release of the new 10-track LP, The Wood Brothers will embark on a spring run, which is slated to begin at the end of the month. In preparation for their return to touring, Chris Wood stated, “I'm looking forward to going on the road with these new songs from Heart Is The Hero and seeing how they evolve from night to night when performed in front of audiences.”
Heart Is The Hero is available to pre-save/pre-order on vinyl, CD and digital formats here.
Listen to “Pilgrim” now.
