Three kinds of submissions excite me the most. The first are debuts, as the unveiling of new creative voices to the public; the second are pre-releases, where artists entrust us with their creations before they’re shown to the world; and the third are returning faces – musicians who were so content with our commentary that they’ve turned to us once more.

Today’s entry fulfils not one, but two of these! Spanish indie artist Alfon Woods submitted his debut single Ibrahim to us in January, which our founder Rob reviewed here. Recently, he’s approached us again for a pre-release article on his upcoming sophomore single, Boundaries. What an honour! Without further ado, let us now embark.

What strikes me most about Woods’ style is the intimacy it conveys. This isn't accomplished by the lyrics alone; rather, the arrangement imbues that connotation, closing that distance for stanzas that seem otherwise standard. Ibrahim got this across via stripped-back instrumentation – a lone guitar and a raw voice, with nowhere to hide.

It’s impressive that Boundaries, while falling back on traditional band instrumentation, refuses to compromise that emotional core. This is accomplished by Alfon Woods’ mastering style (that’s right, he’s the composer, vocalist, producer, and mixer. Keep up!) that pans vocals up front and centre, like he’s crooning softly into your ear – and that’s where the distance closes.

With this backdrop, we enable the lyrics to hit way closer to home:

Another challenge, another time I lost it.
I swear I had the strength; these hands were golden once.

In isolation, you could probably infer some possibilities pertaining to tone – frustration? Despair? With the mixing and cool tonality, however, it reads more like an introspective confession, baring one’s heart out upon reflection of one’s shortcomings. Possible undercurrent readings of indignity and desperation give way to the true throughlines of disappointment and grief; that clarity upon the excavation of meaning is what doubles the emotional weight, I believe.

Woods’s vocal performance is, too, deserving of credit. Practically every one of its elements complements the piece. That breathiness, for light sadness, is a timbral in nature and not intrinsic to breath control – though sufficient strength of expression can still be channeled through. Don’t forget how the falsetto range is capitalized upon for that gentle, forlorn quality that hits right in the heart. He displays range, too – pun intended – with a gritty bridge that calls for a passionately raw, raspy cry that Woods doesn’t fail to deliver. He leverages his capabilities excellently, for sure.

Lastly, I’d like to recognise Woods’ artistic originality; Boundaries’ structure never repeats a section, which in and of itself is a stark departure from most musical works floating about in the contemporary arts scene. What’s more important is that Woods makes it work: first, despite the verse and chorus never recurring, their escalation of tension makes clear the song’s trajectory; second, it befits Woods’ thesis of forward-pressing, non-relapsing growth. That’s artistic intentionality, right there.

All in all, I hope I’ve convinced you to give Woods a listen for yourself, which you can on his Soundcloud or Spotify. He’s proven his strength through consistent quality following his debut, Ibrahim, and I’m personally assured of the promise of his future works! I’ll be keeping up with him on Instagram, and you should too.

With that, the review ends here – thanks for making it this far! If there’s anything you’d like to add to the conversation, you’re more than welcome to create an account over on iaasmusic.com and chime in whenever you’re ready. Have a good day!