Diving into Woodz’s Archive. 1
Singer-songwriter Woodz has finally returned to music with his first full-length album, Archive. 1, though even in his absence, he reigned over South Korea’s charts with the sleeper hit “Drowning.” Serving up an impressive 17 tracks, this album brings him into a new era of artistry while remaining sonically recognizable to long-time fans.
The best way I can describe the lead single “Human Extinction” is that it gives the greatest feeling of running for your life, lyrics delving into a raw expression of foreboding and facing the darkest parts of oneself.
“Stray” is a punch in the face on the track list afterwards. Woodz experiments vocally with screams and instrumentally with harder, more prominent guitar riffs than anything he’s released before. The hints of rockstar Woodz buried throughout his discography come together to make a track that overflows with intensity.
“CINEMA” is Woodz at his best. It’s moody, emotional, and honest, building to an explosive final chorus. “SAMO”’s gritty bass distortion and eerie atmosphere are reminiscent of what Woodz left us with pre-enlistment (“Amnesia”).
Unfortunately, there are a few tracks suffering from too-short-to-get-good disease, and they feel undercooked compared to other songs which execute their ideas better (namely “Downtown,” which becomes redundant in the presence of the superior “Bloodline”).
Somewhat surprisingly, the album doesn’t include any singles released by Woodz in 2025 post-enlistment—something I consider a loss for both giving those songs a physical release and the story of the album.
I find myself gravitating towards “The Spark,” “Bloodline,” “Stray”, “NA NA NA,” and “BEEP” on my relistens. If nothing else, please give “Human Extinction” and “CINEMA” your time, especially with their music videos attached.
