Woodlands

Released in late 2007, Woodlands is a self-released collection that predates Chaz Bear's rise as a pioneer of the chillwave movement. While later albums like Causers of This would embrace side-chain compression and 80s synth nostalgia, Woodlands is firmly rooted in the indie-folk and lo-fi traditions of the mid-2000s. The album consists of 11 tracks that lean heavily on acoustic instrumentation, showcasing Bear's foundational songwriting skills before they were filtered through electronic production. The recording quality is intentionally raw, featuring significant tape hiss and room noise, which adds to the 'found object' aesthetic of the project. Critics and fans often view this as a 'proto-Toro' document, revealing the melodic sensibilities and introspective lyrical themes that would persist throughout his career, albeit in a much more skeletal and organic form. It stands as his most 'unplugged' and rural-sounding work to date.