Delilah Wood returns with her second single “take my hand”, out September 25th, recorded mixed, and mastered once again by Josiah Mazzaschi at The Cave Studio in Los Angeles. Wood handles the composition, guitar, and vocals, with Holly Knoch on violin, Kevin Lambertucci on bass guitar, and Sebastian Feo on drums. Cover art is also done by Crystal Reed-Stokes, who took such beautiful photos of Wood for her single cover and photos for her previous single “of the pines”.
I’m blown away by Wood again. The single cover depicts her in the woods in summer, holding a mirror to her face in neutral colors, and it immediately stood out to me. Having praised her visual instincts in my review “of the pines” she continues to prove that her artistry extends well beyond the music itself. The mirror is such a deliberate and beautiful choice; it reflects the song’s central longing: wanting to understand someone, wanting to be let in, and I find the mirror becomes that threshold. That other side of herself wanting to know who she is, wanting to understand her decisions, wanting to be in the other person’s mind to stop being the one who has to understand. It perfectly complements the lyrics before you even hear a note, and that’s truly such a gift.
When you hear her voice, it’s raw and emotional from the jump. Wood’s vocals took me off guard in the best way possible; her vulnerability in her delivery makes it clear that this is personal to her from the heart, and you can truly hear her longing. “take my hand” creates a quiet suspense around you, the listener pulled into her longing, waiting alongside her while you hope she gets what she wants from that person and herself.
Her songwriting is tender and searching: “What if you take my hand and I don’t understand what it is you need, could I still take your hand?” To me, it showcases her vulnerability from the jump, her love framed as a willingness to show up and open up yourself without fully understanding, because sometimes you can’t, and she’s honest about that. The building repetition of “I don’t understand you, I don’t understand myself, but I want to” toward the end is where the song opens up, the production swelling with the lyrics that make the song feel earned and so satisfying to the listener.
Delilah Wood is truly cementing herself as the most exciting new artist I have come across this year, “take my hand” is a stunning second single and I can’t wait for more.
Written by Anthony Perez
