Ears Wide Open: Woolfy

Matt Wallock on March 4th, 2022

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If you haven’t already met Woolfy, aka British singer-songwriter and producer Simon James, allow his new double-single to serve as a better-late-than-never introduction.

“When We Were Kings” and “Heroine” find the Ojai-via-L.A. musician ditching the twinkling, world-is-your-oyster pop of his previous single “Shooting Stars” in favor of soft-spoken, soul-stirring bedroom folk. “When We Were Kings,” an ode to David Bowie (“And the radio still / Plays your tune like it was yesterday”), is the more somber of the two songs, and was recorded in a single take. “Heroine,” meanwhile, has a more dreamy arc.

Still, “Shooting Stars,” released in December, shows Woolfy working in another mode entirely. The song, written by James for his teenage daughter, is a quietly profound encouragement anthem. It’s the type of song that invites zoning out but rewards repeat listening, and the same could be said of “When We Were Kings” and “Heroine.”

“Shooting Stars” appeared on Woolfy’s 2021 EP of the same name, which also includes remixes of the song by Turbotito and Django Django. Since the mid-Aughts, James has released a handful of albums and EPs under the moniker Woolfy vs Projections (now Projections) in addition to his Woolfy material.

||| Stream: “When We Were Kings” and “Heroine”