Credits:

Deer Scout

Description:

The daughter of folk musicians, Dena Miller was a youngster when she began writing songs with a toy cassette machine, but she only started recording seriously as a college freshman, when she adopted the stage alias Deer Scout. Many fans were introduced to her gentle disposition and folk-inclined melodies with the minor viral hit "sad boy," released in 2017. Arriving five years later, Woodpecker marks both her full-length and Carpark Records debut following a series of self-released and cassette-label EPs. It was recorded at Philadelphias So Big Auditory studio, with overdubs by Miller at home. One of the songs, "Peace with the Damage," was written by her father, Mark Miller, and originally recorded by his band Spuyten Duyvil. A prior collaborator, he plays guitar on the album, which also includes contributions from drummer Madel Rafter, cellist Zuzia Weyman, and bassist Ko Takasugi-Czernowin, another previous Deer Scout collaborator. The rest of the songs and performances are all Denas, beginning with "Cup," a subtly otherworldly entry with meandering guitar and basslines and double-tracked vocals that remark, "Oh what a strange love/You take the shape of" amidst its allusive lyrics. While theres a song called "Cowboy," its a different track, "Synesthesia," that adopts a conspicuous country flair. Inspired by a train ride home from a basement show, the waltzs yodel-styled melody delivers picturesque lyrics that reflect on both life and the scenery. Lighter touches of twang appear on songs including the somewhat ironically titled "Afterthought," which takes on big topics like love, empathy, and higher beings with a circular folk melody over unexpectedly complex chord progressions. Elsewhere, "Breaking the Bad" ventures into heavier, electric timbres with a leaping vocal performance that establishes that Millers warm, youthful voice and way with words can command a stage as well as a living room. ~ Marcy Donelson

Tracklisting:

1.Cup
2.Cowboy
3.Synesthesia
4.Kat and Nina
5.Peace with the Damage
6.Dream
7.Breaking the Rock
8.Afterthought