Embracing her pop evolution: Isabel Wood discusses her debut EP, ‘A Problematic Way of Thinking’

Isabel Wood is an artist from the Sunshine Coast who just released her debut EP, A Problematic Way of Thinking. Over its 6 tracks, she contemplates the past with explorations of grief, hopefulness, and revenge.

From 2019 to 2022, Isabel released 11 singles including our personal favourites: Run & Hide, Mind Reader, and Peaked in High School. With over 56,000 monthly Spotify listeners, she is on her way to becoming a pillar of the pop community.

On May 3rd, Isabel Wood released her best work yet: A Problematic Way of Thinking. If you haven’t already, you can listen to it on Spotify…

…Because VoiceNoted reached out with some questions about the new EP:

Artist Interview

First, we asked Isabel Wood who her favourite artists are to listen to - and if she has any recommendations for fans:

“I’m a huge fan of girlie pop and there is so much incredible music being made at the moment. I’ve put so many friends and family onto Maisie Peters, she’s an amazing songwriter and always my number one recommendation. Some other artists I’m loving at the moment are Charlotte Lawrence, Astrid S, ELIO and Abigail Osborn. I’d say if anyone likes my music, they’re going to love these artists!”

In fact, Isabel’s recommendations sounded so good that we made them into a playlist for you!

Talking about her own sound, we asked Isabel how she would describe her music - and if it’s changed since she started releasing back in 2019:

“Yeah for sure, I feel like my sound is constantly changing and evolving. I think my recent music is so much more ‘me’ since I’ve been leaning into creating songs specifically that I love and letting go of any outside opinions. I find it really fun experimenting with different genres in the pop realm and love trying out different sounds and vibes. Also, like a lot of musicians, I cringe pretty hard at most of my earlier music, but I suppose it’s all part of the process.”

It seems inevitable for a lot of artists to look back on older projects as ‘cringey’, but that’s the mark that they’re evolving. It’s what makes us human, really. Did you never post something embarrassing online at 15 and look back on it like ‘what the hell was I thinking’?

Of course, A Problematic Way of Thinking is her best release to date. We wanted to know how Isabel wrote the EP, so asked her if there was a particular plan or process to it:

“Most of the time I’ll be doing something super random like grocery shopping or I’ll be on a walk or in the shower and a melody idea pops into my head and I quickly record it in my voice memos. Later on when I have my guitar I go through my notes app, which I’m constantly adding lyric ideas to, and then see what fits together.”

On the subject of songwriting, we then asked Isabel what inspires her most:

“I would say my biggest inspiration in terms of lyrics and stories comes from the books I read. I usually sit down right after I finish a book and pick a character that I found interesting and write something from their perspective. I’ve written some of my favourite songs this way, including a few tracks off my recent EP.”

Some of the best songs were inspired by the stories, fairy tales, and fables that we find in books. Think of Tolerate It by Taylor Swift (based on Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca) or Wendy by Maisie Peters (based on J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan) - these are some of the lyrically strongest pop songs around today! Whether inspired or not by the greats, Isabel Wood must be reading some really great books.

In truth, we couldn’t help making a playlist of literary-inspired songs - including Isabel’s music, of course.

Wrapping up the interview, our final question for Isabel was: What would you like to do next? Are there plans for upcoming projects or shows/tours?

”I’m nearly finished writing the next project and have already started the recording process. More music is definitely on the way!”

Knowing that she’s back in the studio, we’re eager to see what music is coming up next from Isabel Wood. Make sure to follow her on Instagram so that you don’t miss anything, and follow us too as we’ll be sure to update you!

In the meantime, you can find the rest of Isabel Wood’s music on Spotify…

…and on our VoiceNoted ‘Top Picks’ 05/24 playlist: