Back in spring 2024, we brought you the debut album from Providence-based indie band Wooll, Unwind. The record stands as a dreamy, patient set of tunes that saw the band lock-in together in a way that is rare for debuts. Now barely a year later, the group is back with Thistle, their sophomore effort. The album is a continuation of what made the debut album great, both an advancement and an enhancement of the vibes of Unwind.
Wooll consists of Corinne Roma on vocals and acoustic guitar, Tyler Rosenholm and Robert LaSalvia on electric guitar, Tyler Chauncey on bass and Derek Goulet on drums, and although they may be relatively new to the scene, they have pedigree – Rosenholm, Chauncey and Goulet all played in former Boston stalwart Kid Mountain before forming Wooll. The band’s greatest strength is the ability to sound like one cohesive unit, in a way that even many generational bands can never muster. The band’s best songs feel like they are being played in the same room for an audience of only you, not ultra-rehearsed in a studio.
The band has always had an ethereal element to their music even as they play straightforward indie jams, and it’s something only investigated further on Thistle. For the most part, this is a particularly spacey record; one that sounds as if it were recorded in the clouds themselves. It’s jangly, but very patient – Wooll know how to take their time and build a song up. This is especially true on the fantastic opener “By,” a song that starts with an acoustic strum and continuously builds into a mystifying dual-guitar bridge. There are two dreamy interludes – “Dorian Moak” and “Chill Lies” – that give more credence to the atmospheric music. “Son Of A Gun” and the title track also work as tunes that give total way to a flighty feel.
Don’t think of this album as a retread of their debut, though. These songs might be dreamier, but they’re moodier, too. With the elevated atmosphere comes with hints of something raw, a departure into a darker realm that they intentionally eschewed on their debut. There are also the two songs in the direct middle of the album; song five, “Ryan Tries,” features a guitar rhythm more math-y than anything else on the record, followed immediately by the Americana tune “Not Mine To Hold.” The banjo that kicks off the song is a sudden break from all of the vibey indie, like waking up suddenly from a nice dream. The song is mostly vocal-based, with Roma’s reliably sweet voice giving a mid-album song that’s still very warm, just sharply different. The listener can settle back into a nice dream to close the album out right after with the darker, more ambient title track “Thistle.”
Overall, Thistle is a well-balanced record. It is bookended with light, hazy indie tunes with a couple more grounded elements in the middle, like some sort of reverse plane ride. The band’s keen eye for patience and genuine alignment make for another interesting, and digestible, indie album.
Wooll are playing at Myrtle on East Providence on Saturday 5/17 with Meridian and Older Brother. Thistle can be streamed below or on a service of your choice.
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