Issy Wood, the U.K.-based painter, and singer-songwriter has just released her newest single “Fuss”.
This release follows her last single, “Muscle” which was released in April. Both songs come off her upcoming EP “If It’s Any Constellation”. After releasing her debut EP, “Cries Real Tears!” in December of last year, Issy has focused on learning and exploring new sounds while writing her lyrics in between painting projects. “Fuss is a passive-aggressive song. Its relative simplicity is a sign of its confidence, as are the lyrics, which are allowed to hold the whole track in place. This is about somebody looking to destroy a person in the most British way possible: politely,” said Issy Wood. Issy is also a fine artist, originally gaining recognition for her paintings. She has featured in art galleries around the globe and her music is an extension of her continued exploration of artistry.
We got a chance to talk with Issy about her new release, check it out below!
The Knockturnal: Can you talk about writing your latest single, “Fuss”?
Issy Wood: I wrote the majority of Fuss on a crappy keyboard in my (art) studio between making paintings and eating snacks, which is relatively unusual for me. The song is so simple, it doesn’t jump around as much as my others. I imagine singing it to someone without blinking – to me, it’s as innocent and as bizarrely intense as a staring contest.
The Knockturnal: The Juno-106 is a legendary synth. How has it inspired you and what has been like exploring its sounds?
Issy Wood: I knew nothing about synths before Mark suggested I buy the Juno, I thought that because I stopped piano lessons age 10 that I’d have no use for one. Turns out the range of sounds the Juno is capable of more than makes up for my one-finger-at-a-time playing style. What drives the millennial in me nuts, though, is forgetting which numbers and settings sound the best. I’ve written some of my favorites on the side of it in sharpie.
The Knockturnal: How has your production process changed though the pandemic?
Issy Wood: I’m not sure the pandemic itself as shaped my production, other than the simple fact of having more free evenings to get better at it. Before Covid, I was planning on moving to New York for a few months with just a Roland TR-08 and a guitar that hadn’t been restrung since 2013. I’m kind of thrilled I didn’t do that.
The Knockturnal: How does your painting and music influence each other?
Issy Wood: I’ve spoken before about layers and how making a painting and a song are similar-ish, but I try to keep them separate in my mind. Making music is about 300 times as painful as making paintings – I don’t have to constantly sidestep corny rhyme schemes when I’m painting a leather jacket!
The Knockturnal: What are you most excited about your new EP “If It’s Any Constellation”?
Issy Wood: This new EP is a step up for me. I’m objectively a better musician than I was in 2019 when most of Cries Real Tears! was written. Don’t get me wrong, I am still learning. Big Time. But the synth helped, the time helped, I know the limits of my singing voice but also its baritone strengths. Also, on a practical level, the lag time between songwriting and song release (which felt agonizingly long the first time around) has decreased – these songs feel a little fresher.
The Knockturnal: What themes are you looking forward to exploring in future songs?
Issy Wood: I’m writing more and more about the dilemmas and aches of people around me, rather than my own. My loved ones are really living more at the moment – I just go from my bed to my studio to my kitchen back to my bed like a damn robot.
