Haunt the Woods - ‘Ubiquity’ review
Haunt the Woods by Steve Gullick
At the end of September, Haunt the Woods - comprised of Jonathan Stafford (vocals, rhythm guitar), Phoenix Elleschild (lead guitar) Oliver Bignell (drums) and Jack Hale (bass) - finally treated us to their much anticipated sophomore record, Ubiquity. Their first release since joining the Spinefarm ranks, this record firmly solidifies every inkling we’ve had about this band. Haunt the Woods is deftly capable of a mature and diverse sound and is a band obviously destined for a bright future. Anyone who finds themselves in a season of longing or searching is sure to find deep solace in every phrase of Ubiquity.
Haunt the Woods wastes no time in Ubiquity, opening with the anthemic “Fever Dream”. Four clean drum clicks sound before an explosion of everything - chant vocals, electric riff and orchestral strings play in unison, giving way to a crystal clear lyric, “Look at the sky and each point of light is full of limitless abundant life”. Together, they tell us exactly what’s in store for this record. I hope you’re ready to question your place in the world, because Haunt the Woods is about to take you on a journey of questioning, longing and wonder.
I say the album opens with an explosion, but an ‘awe inspiring firework display’ might be a better metaphor. Straight out the gate, Haunt the Woods is showcasing their growth, maturity, thoughtfulness and ability to beautifully balance the elements of a fantastic rock song. Each lyric, drum fill, harmony, electric guitar riff, bass line and orchestral line is given its moment to shine, effortlessly weaving between elements. In the second verse, a lyric mentions “A pale blue dot weaves into the tapestry that is time and space” and I can’t help but think how perfectly the music aligns with the sentiment; a tapestry of melodic threads beautifully woven to create this piece. There may or may not be a ‘plan in place’ in the world, but it’s clear there’s a plan in place in this song, and this record.
We move into “Gold” for the second track of the album. Starting with a much more mellow vibe, the piece swells and builds much like the water-based metaphors featured in the lyrics. Things slow even further with the beginning of “Save Me”. A simply strummed acoustic guitar accompanies vocalist Jonathan Stafford in his lowest and most sombre vocal register we’ve heard so far, guiding listeners through introspective lyrics. Ever so slowly, the song builds; first in a swell reminiscent of the previous track, until halfway through, a wave of sound overtakes us. Opening to intensely powerful drumming and the same singing electric guitar featured in the first two tracks, “Save Me” builds into an awe inspiring sound and possibly the most difficult vocal line of the album.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with the band about creating this album and learned that many tracks and elements were recorded live, some in only one take. “Save Me” is a prime example of this, with Stafford saying of the track:
“One night I was with our engineer in a room and I just played it. The whole first half of the song, my take is live with guitar and vocals recorded at the same time, then the second half of the song is a one take. There were a lot of moments like that.”
Listen to that song again and just hold tightly to the knowledge that the vocal line in not only the first half, but again in the second half, is each one take. The latter being the first take at that, hitting notes and phrases even the most seasoned of musicians will only dream of.
Things shift as we enter into the next ‘movement’, if you will, and the fourth track on the album. “Equilibrium” is a highly romantic piece, even bringing in harmonies from a female vocalist that adds a layer of intimacy and innocence. Again, I have to put on my vocalist hat and applaud the enunciation from both singers. Not only is it easier to understand, but the hard consonance becomes another element of the song's percussion, complimenting drummer Oliver Bignell’s transition to drum clicks with a focus on cymbals and the plucked lines from varied stringed instruments - guitar, bass and orchestration. There’s a yearning and pace communicated with every stressed punctuation across the track’s component parts.
“Home” opens with piano, a new instrumentation featured in the record, and presents listeners with another diverse perspective of the Haunt the Woods sound. I’m continuously struck by the diversity of sound from this band, but also the continuity they create. Each piece is distinctly its own and simultaneously part of the wider story.
When I chatted to the group, lead guitarist Phoenix Elleschild shared,
“I think there's a lot of common ground between what we all love in music, but we all come from different backgrounds. When we come together, we pull each other in such wildly different directions that Haunt the Woods itself becomes the common ground.”
The piano continues as we move into “The Line, Pt. II”. Written entirely while in the studio, this piece continues themes the band started exploring in their 2017 album The Line. It features what we’re learning to be the ‘classic Haunt the Woods build’, helping deliver the most melancholic lyricism we’ve seen thus far in the album. If you’re questioning your place in the world, perhaps skip this one for now, because Stafford’s lyrics will have you on your knees, weeping.
Sonically building under the line “Try as I might, I am lost. Why am I here? When was the line crossed?”, the song opens to an understated guitar solo from Elleschild, culminating with the near screaming lyrics, “I only have one life. I am a human being like everybody else. Please give me strength inside to have some self control. I am too young to feel this old.”
The first half of the album reaches its climax with the next song, “Now Is Our Time”. Reminiscent of the powerful intro we heard in the opening track “Fever Dream”, “Now Is Our Time” is the angriest piece and a return to the more metal influence. Serving almost as a call to arms, the song lyrically deals with themes of pushing back authoritarian ideas and fighting for your rights.
Exactly halfway through the record, and we’re going from heaviest to softest, loudest to quietest moving from “Now Is Our Time” to “Ubiquity”. Tonally and structurally unique, this track is an aethereal departure and interlude which pivots us into a more anguished and spiritual movement, echoed through the remainder of the album.
Where previous tracks have referenced angels or the sense of something bigger in the world, “Ubiquity” tries to start answering some of those questions. I get the sense of rebirth and wonder with the opening lines “Feel the air inside your lungs, taste it upon your tongue. Hear the stream as it flows, see the light as it grows” but also greater understanding in the repeated ‘chorus’ if you will, “All at once I see. I just can’t believe the new day comes”.
No sooner have we felt like we’re beginning to understand the “greater-ness” to the universe than are we plummeting back into darkness. Though we just had a song about how all things are connected, we’re back to questioning everything with “Overflow”, seeking, praying, pleading for strength and answers.
This theme continues into the next track, and we simply can’t not talk about “Sleepwalking”. If you’ve seen the bands Instagram, you know the whole group sings, and we can hear all voices clearly included in this mostly acoustic piece. Layered harmonies over simple piano chords ask, “What is right and what is wrong? Is it true that love will set you free? I don’t think I’ll ever know, is this person I was meant to be?”
The penultimate track “Numb” we’ve learned is another track which revisited an old idea, adding new components to breathe in new life. If I was being critical, I would almost say that I could do without this piece. Except, it’s utterly redeemed by where they take it. This is our final “Haunt the Woods build” echoing the same intensely powerful drums we heard in “Gold”, soaring vocals of “Save Me” and pleading lyrics of “The Line, Pt. II”.
The album finds its close with the song “Said And Done”. For 11 tracks, we’ve been aiming towards this point, and there’s something different here. “Said And Done” is both full and stripped back. Acoustic guitar and a solo vocal melody from Stafford is met with electric guitar, bass and drums from bandmates Elleschild, Bignell and Hale. And only once the foursome has thoroughly delivered nearly a full song together is it decorated by soulful organ, haunting flugelhorn and strings orchestration. I’d also point out the bass fills from Jack Hale here, adding subtle texture to its ending.
It seems counterintuitive to say of a band that’s just delivered an album full of deeply honest lyrics, that this is them at their most honest and raw. I suppose it feels the most authentically “Haunt the Woods”. Not that every piece isn’t spectacularly beautiful. But it’s as though, if the foursome rocked up in a room, this song holds everything they’d need to say.
Early in this review, I wrote that Haunt the Woods possesses a unique ability to beautifully balance the elements of a fantastic rock song. And it’s true throughout every piece of this record. No moment is ever too simple or too complex, no instrument too loud or lost in the mix. Their thoughtful approach to songwriting is both refreshing and deeply moving. I can wholeheartedly say this record sits firmly within my shortlist of top releases this year.
There’s not a single doubt in my mind that Haunt the Woods is destined for more. We were saying it behind the scenes before even hearing this album, and Ubiquity has only solidified our belief. Give it time, but this band will be playing arenas and closing festivals if that’s the future they desire. There’s no doubt.
