Kevin Bronson on July 6th, 2017

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There is pain that’s sharp and fleeting, and then there is the dull ache that lingers torturously until time or some moment of catharsis exorcises it. “Terrible,” the new single from Wolf Woodcock, is about the latter — a reaction, he says, “to adolescent heartbreak and separation … and the immediate ideas and feelings that come with it, such as blame and suffering.” “Let go of me / and let me decay on my own,” Woodcock sings on the simmering, slow-building indie-rocker, which will be released as digital/cassette single Friday with the song “Pet” via the Chain Letter Collective. It’s the latest from an artist who’s been releasing solo material since he was a teenager but only last year began playing full-band shows for his own music. Woodcock (who performs in VS Colour and Jennylee) is joined in his live band by drummer Nate Carter, horn player Cesar Hernandez, saxophonist Ben McPeek, keyboardist Isaac Plummer and bassist Caleb Buchanan. It’s Plummer’s wash of keys that takes “Terrible” to its fantastic finish — punctuated by shouts at the end. It’s the powerful, liberating sound of moving on.

||| Stream: “Terrible”

||| Also: Stream “Pet”

||| Live: Wolf Woodcock plays Saturday’s Unscene Fest at the Hi Hat, along with HOTT MT, Goon, Draag and Alyeska.