‘One Day She Will’ is a moving, achingly honest piece of art that explores Tim's most intimate emotions.
Flushed with charming lyricism and sombre soundscapes, Victorian storytelling folk singer-songwriter Tim Woodz (who regular performs live as Tim Woodz And The Dirty Shoes) has been thoroughly embossing his name in the industry over the past couple of years.
Earning a solid reputation within the folk scene for his jazz-trained guitar style, folk stories, quirky tales and witty character, Tim Woodz has the kind of voice that is addictive. From the moment he opens his mouth, he releases an unexpected sound.
With a career that has seen him win the Maldon Minstrel award and tour with iconic performer Tex Perkins, Tim’s latest release ‘One Day She Will’ has all the trappings of an indie-folk song, oozing with intrigue as his spoken-word vocals narrate a story of fractured family relationships and hope.
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Recorded at Pughouse Studios in Thornbury, ‘One Day She Will’ is simple and beautiful with wistful melodies and soft acoustic instrumentals. The pure tone and pitch of Tim’s easy-going, slightly gravelly voice combined with a tear-jerking tempo result in an overall sadness permeating from every measure, every note played.
With slight cracks in his voice and a dedication to the lyrics, Tim’s charm is that he’s not a detached storyteller; it’s a beautiful triumph for an artist completely in charge of his vision and stories.
“I will climb to the top of the hill / Tell me one day she will / And I’ll lend into the wind /Tell me she’s coming back again,” Tim wonders. A barrage of emotions comes to us in waves throughout the four-and-a-half-minute track. Lyrically poignant, the song fills every crevice you allow it to.
Fusing his love of classic melody and songwriting with a sea of inspired influences, spanning The Felice Brothers, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, John Prine, Billy Brag and Arlo Guthrie, the music is equally moving with a gentle wash of acoustic guitar and eloquent violin, with the strings truly adding an angelic quality.
Fragile yet bold, effervescent yet muted, the music swells with emotion and intimacy. It’s the perfect way to leave a budding audience satisfied, yet in desperate need of more.
Written for his daughter who he heartbreakingly lost contact with in recent years, ‘One Day She Will’ paints an honest portrait of his own experiences of life, love and loss, creating an intimate and vulnerable journey that envelops the listener into a vivid cinematic introspect of their own experiences.
“[The single tells] a story of difficult family relationships and holding on to something you believe in, it’s inspired by my story but I know that there are so many other people who are experiencing a similar thing,” Tim shares.
“I think it’s important to talk about these embarrassing parts of our lives. It was incredibly awkward for me to start talking about it and now I’m singing and dancing about it like a complete showoff. But if it helps to start or ease the conversation in another person’s situation, then it’s all worth it.”
Lifted from his album After All This Time – a concept album wholly dedicated to his daughter recorded in 2021 – the single can stand alone or play a part of the larger narrative at hand, epitomises Tim as both an expert songwriter and proficient musician.
“The album is based around my daughter and I not having contact with each other, so it’s a theme of a lost connection but also of hope and coming to a place of peace about it all.
“It was a completely different approach to how I’ve recorded previously, the songs were more thought out, considering the more sensitive material. With help of Niko Schäuble, the recording engineer, we explored different sounds and instrumentation which was something I’ve never sought out to do before.”
‘One Day She Will’ and the album more broadly see Tim remain hopeful amidst a journey of a broken love, signally a shift in mood from his previous material, namely his 2017 EP titled ‘Short Stories’ which featured a collection of upbeat quirky and light-hearted folk gems. His songwriting is renowned for being spontaneous, energetic and warm, often about things that you wouldn’t think to write about, from possums on powerlines to Melbourne’s Westgate bridge to backyard cricket.
Maintaining the same gentle acoustic bones, his new material is raw and relatable, presenting his most intimate feelings and emotions for the world to see, in a rather spectacular fashion.
“I felt like I couldn’t write my usual upbeat songs like I used to, as I kept writing songs about my daughter. When 2020 happened, I realized I had more than an album worth of songs about my daughter, so I decided to make a themed album about a loss of connection with a loved one, figuring out how to move on and looking forward to a hopeful future.”
The single release arrives alongside a music video, delivering the perfect representation of this exchange and exploration of hope. Directed and edited by Melbourne based singer-songwriter Delsinki, the video is intimate and heartrending with slow shots of Tim in a secluded bushland setting.
With heart-warming melodies and poetic imagery, Tim’s quaint folk songs have always been laced with charm, humility and a vibrant sense of humour. Now coming from a very deliberate standpoint with his new release, his music is a true reflection of real-life scenarios, showcasing his considered character and undeniable songwriting.
With his newest release providing a building block for his enduring artistry and a knack for penning songs that spark nostalgic and charming imagery, Tim Woodz continues to be an artist to watch.
Keep up with the latest from Tim Woodz here or check him out on Spotify.
