The rumor was that  the new album from Woods would jettison a healthy portion of the lo-fi, freak-folk aesthetic so many had come to know and love. It wasn’t a surprise, Woods have been crawling towards polish for a while now, with Sun & Shade dipping a toe in the genre but for the most an up beat sign of things to come. Perhaps some of you Woods-aphiles worried that your beloved foundations of modern indie would suddenly disappear in to the studio and come out clean-shaven and unrecognizable. Don’t yee worry, scared music lovers, Woods, talents that they are, have buffed out a few of nicks in their sonic makeup, but the sound that remains is as Wood-sy as it comes. Jeremy Earls voice still drifts above the gentle clatter of guitars and drums, just bordering on falsetto. It still feels ramshackle, still built out of reclaimed noise from a different era, but the edges seem a little smoother, the image a little more in focus.

Woods new album Bend Beyond arrives in stores September 18th from Woodsist.

The band will bring their newly gleaming sound to Great American Music Hall on August 3rd.